Second Life
by Jayde Raine
Summary: Rin comes back through the Bone Eater's Well seven years after her sudden death in Sesshomaru's arms. With no memory and a different past, she believes she must find a way back or die trying, but will she change her mind along the way?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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><p>PROLOGUE<p>

"_Say, Lord Sesshomaru?" the young Rin lightly touched the weathered tombstone she seemed fascinated with._

_The demon's voice was deep, monotone. "What is it?"_

"_Even if I die someday…" she looked up at his back turned to her, "will you always remember me?" _

_A slight flicker of pain etched across his beautiful face, hidden from anyone's view. "Don't say such silly things." He muttered, quickly putting an end to the thought._

_But she just kept smiling to herself, knowing he would never forget her. _

Seven years had passed and still he thought of the little girl he saved. She was unlike any other human with her kind cheerful heart that loved the simple things in life, never taking anything for granted. She wanted to be with him forever, but he couldn't allow her to waste her life—being with him and getting nothing in return. He was a demon lord, master of the west and she was a lowly human, orphaned and weak. His quest to find the "power" to overrule his empire was a dangerous task. When he had brought the little girl back to life he didn't imagine she would remain with him.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" he heard Jaken call from a near distance. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

The tall, silver-haired demon stood his ground and waited for the toad to come out of the brush. He landed with a tumble, ending up on his hands and knees. Quickly the little demon jumped up with his staff at the sight of his Lord wearily watching him.

"My Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken put on a serious face, "I have prepared Ahun and got what you asked for."

He nodded at his servant and continued to walk down the forest. It had been several years since Inuyasha defeated Naraku and Kagome was sent back to her own time. His eyes narrowed, as he recalled his half-brother's sorrow when the miko disappeared, not returning from the Bone Eater's well until three years later. As he kept on with Jaken following slowly behind, a small shrine appeared in front of him. Jaken backed off, giving his master privacy. Ahun was quietly standing next to the intricate structure. Lord Sesshomaru took the incense from Ahun's saddle and bent a knee.

"Rin." The name felt foreign on his lips.

He would always remember the child he had failed to protect so long ago.

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><p>Author: Slow at first, but it'll pick up.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Rin

She was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling with the spinning fan. Her eyes followed it as went round and round making her somewhat dizzy. Her limbs were limp and tired. She couldn't put up with this anymore. This life, this house, all of his belongings that were still in his dresser never to be worn by him again. At first she thought she would continue crying until nothing more came out, but to her amazement tears never dry unless you force them. Just lying there she could already feel the drops of saltiness trying to budge their way out passed her eyelids and onto her cheeks. Everything was a reminder of their happiness and love.

"Why did you leave me?" she sobbed and pulled her knees into her chest, falling on her right side. She looked like a child about to be born, yet she felt like death.

Her fingers pulled at the sheets under her in pain. She missed him beyond belief. The phone suddenly rang in the other room—it was probably her mother, for the fifteenth time. Calling and calling then finally she would realize no one would answer. Lying there, feeling like this she quietly laughed at herself. Would she ever answer anyone again?

_No_, she thought, _I can't_.

There was suddenly a knock at the door downstairs. Grumbling, she sulkily got to her feet and trotted down the steps. "Coming…" her voice sighed, barely loud enough for herself to hear. Pulling the door open it was her mother. Her mother's dark hair swung in a high ponytail as she tightly held onto an umbrella against the strong wind outside. The storm was growing by the hour, soon it would be hailing. She stepped back and let her mother in.

"Whoo…" her mom quickly came into the warm, dry house as she put her umbrella away, "what a storm!"

She knew her mother was just trying to distract her from her own thoughts. "Hey."

With the same closed-mouth smile as always, her mother patted her shoulder. "I'm so glad you're alright, Rin. I was worried with everything and all."

_You mean my fiancé's death_, she inwardly glared at the woman before her.

"You didn't pick up or return any of my calls." Her mother continued, "Why don't we sit down and have some tea?"

Before she could even reply her mother took off her black rain boots and walked to the kitchen. Rolling her eyes, Rin followed and watched as the older woman turned on the water to fill the kettle.

"Wouldn't be surprised if you lost power." Her mother looked at her daughter from the corner of her eye, seeing her efforts were futile. "Though, that doesn't seem to concern you."

Rin walked over to the small three-person table and plopped in one of the wooden chairs. Putting the kettle on the stove, her mother went to sit across from her. Eyeing her daughter, she saw how frail she had become. It had been a month and she still hasn't shown any sign of recovery.

"I heard Eri tried getting in touch with you. She wanted to take a hiking trip." She lightly touched her daughter's shoulder, something she tended to do when she worried. "You should go, it'd help."

A little glare appeared in Rin's eyes, "Help with what?"

Her mom quickly realized her mistake. She probably seemed so insensitive, and she tried to explain, "It's been four weeks…sweetie, you must find yourself, move on."

Abruptly standing, she knocked her chair down behind her. "Move on? You want me to just forget everything I had with Kazuma?" She started to feel the tears again, "I miss him. I'm lost without him and you want me to _move_ on?"

Holding up her hands in defense, her mother tried to calm the situation. "I want you to be happy. There is more than this."

Rin snorted, as she was now frustrated, "More than true love? I was in love with him, mom. I can't get over this."

"You can!" she replied, "you will!"

The kettle started to loudly hiss and her mother popped up, running over to grab it off the stove. As she started filling up the two cups, she felt her own eyes grow watery at her daughter's despair.

"Please just think about the trip."

Rin could hear the sadness in her mother's voice and she felt the emptiness in her chest. Letting her head drop down to her bare-feet she whispered, "sure."

This got a rise out of her mom, "Yes! You will see, you'll be happier." She pranced over and gave her daughter a kiss on her forehead. Going back over to grab the cups of tea, the mother hoped it was true. Rin needed to pull herself out of this downward spiral; she needed something new. Slowly sipping the warm steamy tea, Rin listened to her mother go on about how much better things will be. She could only count the minutes and then hours until she left with a saddened sigh.

"I will see you, ok?" her mother insisted.

Rin just nodded and shut the door, _freedom at last_. Going back up to her room she stared at the bed she laid in earlier. She remembered the times when Kazuma would sleep in late and she would stand right where she was now, lovingly watching him. But she will never again. The thought hurt, actually any thought of him did. If that day had never happened…it was so ordinary, like any other Sunday. She slowly sat down on the bed and glanced at her closet. Her hiking backpack would be in there right next to his; they would always take hiking trips. Though, the last thing she wanted was to put on a face and see her friends to go trek though Japan. After moving here last year, all Rin wanted was to travel around, but she wanted to do it with Kazuma—not girlfriends.

Getting up, Rin reluctantly pulled out her backpack while trying to refrain any thought of him. She unconsciously packed what she would need and finally made it to bed. _Tomorrow will be different_, she thought, _I pray it is_.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Down the Rabbit Hole 

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><p>"We are going to be late and we still have to meet up with Hana." her friend tapped her foot while she stood in the doorway. "Everyone will be waiting on us."<p>

Rin rushed back and forth making sure everything was in order. The cat was fed, she gave the keys to her mom, and she made sure the windows were shut—her mind was going crazy. She turned to Eri, giving her packed backpack to her.

"I'll meet you in the car," Rin started tying on her sneakers, "I'll be right out."

"Okay…." Her friend left.

As Rin slipped on her zip-up jacket she turned back one last time and looked at the house. For some reason, she felt like she was leaving and seeing the place for the last time. Shrugging it off, she turned the knob's lock and shut the door behind her. She would just be coming back as a new person she told herself; she would be better like her mother said. Running to the little blue Honda she hopped in and Eri looked at her.

"Feeling good?" Eri asked with a quizzical look in her dark brown eyes.

Rin lightly smiled—she hadn't smiled in a month after Kazuma's death. "Yeah, I think so."

Putting the car in gear, her friend grinned back, "Awesome, this will be great! We gotta pick up Hana and we can head out! I can't wait."

Nodding, Rin pulled out her iPhone and looked at the weather. She felt awkward being around her friend she hadn't seen so long, she barely made contact with her, yet she was still so friendly and oddly the same. It was only ten minutes until they pulled into Hana's dirt driveway; Hana lived right outside Tokyo in a remote town. Looking out the window, she could see the neighbor's house and their small shrine. She had never been in a shrine during the whole time she was an exchange student, even after officially moving to Japan she didn't get the chance. It was funny, Rin didn't remember a shrine being there the last time she visited Hana.

"How neat," Rin pointed to the wooden structure, "her neighbor has a shrine."

Eri parked the car in front of the older house. It was painted blue with white windows and a yellow door. The shingled roof hung low and covered the overgrown garden resting beside the house.

"Yeah." Eri laughed at her friend. "We're going in Hana's truck because of all the gear."

Rin was barely listening to her friend as she continued to stare at the ominous shrine next door_. I want to see it_, she thought.

"Mhm…" Rin replied.

"Don't forget your bag, I'll go get Hana." Eri pulled her own stuff from the back seat, "Be right back."

She stayed by the car while she watched her friend run up to the house, knocking on the door. Her eyes slowly went back to the shrine…

"Hana?" Eri called in the distance, "Answer the door, you slow grandma!" There was more knocking.

A force was pulling Rin towards it… she could feel it. She couldn't stop herself and before she knew it, she was crouching behind the back-end of the shrine. Turning around, she made sure no one could see her. Eri was too preoccupied with getting Hana to open the door and it seemed like none of the neighbors were home. _Why am I doing this? _Surely she could find another shrine to go into, but there was something about it—she had to see it.

With her hiking bag on her back she hurried to the front of the shrine. Seeing it up close and being near the entrance was exhilarating. Inside, she was giddy like a little girl. _Why am I so excited?_ Her consciousness questioned her unusual feelings as she steadily walked up a few steps. Inches away from the sliding wooden door she rested her hand against it, closing her eyes without noticing. There was a faint hum against her palm. She thought it was strange how luring this place was; surely not all shrines are like this. Finally sliding the door open, she looked into the dark room. There were steps leading down to a small square area with a well in the center. Nothing was special about it. It was just a plain well with a box-like wall.

Slowly going inside, Rin stepped down into the lower area. The well was only a few inches in front of her and the excited feeling was gone, replaced with uneasiness.

_Why would a shrine be guarding a simple well?_ Leaning over the side, she looked down to see it was dark and dirty. She felt foolish for doing this, and of course Eri would wonder what she was doing. It would result with an impossible explanation, making her look even crazier than she already was. Sighing, Rin sat on the edge of the well. Things were going so good until now, as she started to lose herself to her feelings, yet again. Her hands covered her face in exasperation as she recalled what her mother always told her: "Life isn't fair." Yeah, yeah she knew that all too much. If life were fair in any way then she would still have Kazuma.

There was a faint hum again, similar to when she placed her hand on the door to the shrine. She stood, looking to see what it was, but the room was empty. It was probably someone playing a trick on her. She rolled her eyes and went up the steps. Before she could make it out the sliding door slammed shut and the entire shrine started to violently shake. The humming sound grew louder by the second.

"Hey!" Rin screamed from inside as she covered her ears from the humming, "That's not funny, Eri!"

She thought it was her friend, Eri who always had an odd sense of humor. Though when it didn't stop she started to doubt what it could be. There was a new sensation in the air of the shrine that radiated from where the well was. Cautiously turning back to the well, there was a faint violet light.

_What the hell?_ Rin watched with wide eyes. Letting go of her ears she slammed on the door and tried to slide it open. "Someone! Help," she cried louder.

"Please…" she pounded with her fists even harder, but no one was coming. She turned her eyes back to the well and the light grew brighter. Giving up on the door, she put her back against it and could feel the tears coming to her eyes. Stubbornly, she blinked them away—now was not the time to be weak. With her backpack still on she knew she could last in here for a week off her energy bars and water jug, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. Someone would come for her… Maybe if she just went to see what was in the well that was causing this?

It was the tugging; she could feel it in her heart like before when it led her into the shrine. _What if it was the other side,_ she thought, _it could be Kazuma_. Never before had anything like this happened and Rin didn't believe in anything supernatural. This felt different—the eerie thought of it being Kazuma made her second-guess the situation. This could be what she wanted… to see him again. Going closer to the well, the violet light grew brighter. She had nothing to lose anyway.

Looking down the well she saw a sky, blue with a single cloud. Though it was strange, it didn't stop her and she jumped down the well.

Hitting the bottom knocked the wind out of her. This certainly wasn't what she expected… she thought something would happen. Sighing, she got herself up and secured her backpack. Using the rock wall to climb up the well and slipping numerous times, she had two broken nails and got a large cut on her thigh by the time she was near the top. Good thing it was a smaller well than it seemed when she fell. Not being much of a climber it would have taken her much longer. Rin felt ridiculous, why did she think something would happen? 

"Rin?" she heard Eri. "Rin! Where the hell are you?"

Closing her eyes, she couldn't feel worse, "Here." She called. "I'm in the well."

"Are you kidding?" Her friend laughed and ran up, poking her head down. She looked quite shocked.

Eri reached a hand to Rin and helped her out, "What happened?"

Rin shrugged, "It was nothing. My curiosity got the best of me."

"Right, so you're ready to go, or do we need to jump down something else?"

She knew her friend was trying to make her laugh, "Let's just get out of here."

They walked out of the shrine and back to the car where Hana stood staring intensely into her phone. She wore spandex capris and a loose tank, "Rin!" she squealed and hugged her. "How are you, Oh my gosh, I can't believe the things you must have gone through this month, I'm so sorry about your fiancé…."

"Yeah." Rin coughed. She had heard this enough.

"He was so sweet and handsome too." Hana pouted, "Anyways, what were you doing at my neighbor's?"

A blush came to Rin's cheeks, "Umm—"

"She thought she saw something." Eri answered Hana.

_Why would she lie for me?_ Rin wondered.

"Oh." Hana showed her pearly whites (though they were crooked). "They're nice neighbors, they have a son around our age, I think."

"Cool." Eri was growing impatient, "Can we go; it's getting late. Yuki and Sana are going to kill us."

Rin followed Eri to her car, but something stopped her. "Aren't we taking Hana's truck?"

They both looked at Rin like she was mental, "Hana doesn't have a truck." Eri raised her eyebrow.

Her eyes switched from Eri to Hana, "Yes she does. It's the big old jeep. You know, it's yellow… looks like a bus." They both kept their odd stares, "we would make fun of it all the time?"

Hana stepped closer to Rin, "Are you feeling alright?"

Anger started to fluster her and she rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. You do still have that truck… Stop messing with me, guys."

Eri and Hana seemed to be a little concerned. Hana said, "Why don't we chill for a minute?"

"I don't want to chill. I wanna get out of here…" Eri complained at Hana, looking like a girl half her twenty years.

"I'm doing ok, really. It's my mistake." Rin forced a smile at Hana who sighed in reply and opened up the car.

After getting in the car and riding in silence, Rin started to regret this trip. At first it seemed so fun and reminded her of the old times, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong or about to go wrong. If anything bad were to happen she would be the one to experience it.

"Where are we hiking?" Rin asked from the backseat. The two other girls sat in the front and weirdly glanced at one another.

Eri swept a hand through her hair and looked uneasy, "I thought we told you we're going to Tokyo and shopping around. For Hana's wedding?"

Rin tilted her head with narrow eyes, confused by this. "No… we are going hiking. It's why I have my bag with me." Suddenly she reached behind her and realized she didn't have her backpack on still, it was gone. "Oh shit! I forgot my bag!"

"You didn't have a bag, Rin." Hana turned around, looking at her. "Try and relax, you seem stressed."

"I don't want to relax, Hana." Rin glared, "There is something going on here…."

"Yeah, you're a basket case." Eri growled and Hana hit her in the arm.

Hana whispered something in Eri's ear, which made Rin even angrier. "Can we pull over the car? Maybe I just need to get out, this was a bad idea."

"No way, crazy. We are on a mission." Eri started to drive faster.

Rin unbuckled her seatbelt and inched up, "Come on. I need a second."

"What are you doing? Put you're seatbelt back on! You'll make us get a ticket." Eri glared at her in the rearview mirror.

"Then stop the car," Rin tried to get up and grab the wheel, making both Eri and Hana scream.

Eri pushed her back, calling her a "mental patient," and Hana just covered her face in fear. The car swerved and they almost ran into the fence line of the curving road. "Holy shit that was close!" Eri looked back at Rin, loosing focus on the road.

As Rin went to apologize she realized a car was coming right at them through the windshield, "ERI!"

It was too late as Eri tried to get out of the other car's way. Coming head on, going at least fifty miles per hour, both of the cars collided and all Rin could think about was the well. That's right, she remembered she had jumped down and the light that was coming from it. Suddenly her head was pounding as she was tossed around the spinning car—she could hear her friends screaming. Looking up, Rin saw Hana holding onto Eri's head that was gushing crimson blood. Rin tried to grab a hold of something, but kept loosing her grip due to the unpredictable shoving of the car. She closed her eyes, knowing this would be the end… if only she didn't take off her seatbelt. 

"Hello?" she heard a deep voice, "Are you alive?"

_What?_ She thought, _why would I hear a man's voice?_

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared right up into a pair of golden eyes. A loud scream escaped her throat as she quickly sat up. The silver haired man jumped; he was entirely dressed in red and wore a beaded necklace around his throat. "Get away from me." Rin said as she backed away.

He cocked his head the side and wearily looked at her, "Oh come on… don't be an idiot."

She was surprised by his reply and noticed he had ears on his head. Are those dog-ears? She wondered and her heart started to pick up again. She was definitely dead; she had to be. Realizing she wasn't being tossed around in a car anymore and was now somewhere in the country, she turned around and saw the well. It was the same one from the shrine—she would recognize it anywhere. "I'm either dreaming or I'm dead"

The young man crossed his arms. "I pulled you out of the well. You've been out cold."

Rin held out her hand to him, "I'm Rin. You are…?"

He glared at her hand and sniffed it. She abruptly pulled it back and thought, t_his guy is crazier than me. _"Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha, I've heard that somewhere before." Rin brought a finger to her lips, trying to recall where it was.

"Why aren't you with the asshole?" his eyes sparkled, "He finally left you for good?"

"Huh?" She had no idea what he was getting at. "Who's—"

"Spare me. I'm sure Kaede would like to see you." He started to walk in the other direction, "It's been seven years."

Rin jogged to keep up with him, "I don't understand. Kaede?"

"Jeez. Don't tell me you already forgot." He snorted.

She shook her head in confusion, "I have no idea what you're talking about. This isn't real."

Inuyasha stopped and put his hands on his hips, "You're sayin' you don't remember me? Or Kagome? Or Kaede?" She shook her head as he kept on, "Not even Jaken? Sesshomaru?"

_Sesshomaru_… that name. Something tingled in her stomach and she crossed her arms. "No. I was just in a car and it crashed, or I may have fallen down the well. Ugh! I just don't know." She was tired of being frustrated and confused. She should have never been on this trip to begin with!

He looked concerned for her, but then it dissipated in an instant. "You _are_ Rin?"

She nodded and he tried to smell her again, "What are you doing?" she slapped him.

"Hey!" he growled.

A deep throaty laughter echoed through the trees, "As funny as this is…"

Inuyasha pushed Rin back and narrowed his eyes at the trees, "A demon." The word seemed bitter coming off his tongue.

A small laugh came from Rin, which surprised her. _This guy has to be joking_.

Out of nowhere, a feminine-like creature jumped down in front of Inuyasha. She, or it had extremely long legs and arms, wearing a tight, black suit. Rin stared in awe; she had never seen someone so strange. There were black markings on its' face and it had glowing red eyes. The creature's long dark hair was tied back, revealing a sharp, defined face with high cheekbones and trim eyebrows.

"I heard the well was working again…" its' voice made Rin shiver, "I wanted to see it with my own eyes."

Inuyasha glared and pulled out a sword that grew twice the size as the sheath. _If this is a dream, I'm going to remember this,_ Rin thought amused while she watched the two creatures.

The woman-creature glanced at her, "And to think I would find such a head for my collection—her pretty face would be fitting for my staff." She pulled out a large spear made of several heads. The faces of the women were twisted and rotted. Rin brought her hands up to cover her nose from the awful smell as she carefully backed away.

"If you don't want me to rip off your own head, then you should run, pest." Inuyasha charged at the creature with a loud growl.

Rin stared wide-eyed as the two fought. The large sword clanged against the creature's staff with a spark. Inuyasha's opponent was able to shoot something acidic from her staff, which melted into the grass beneath them. Rin backed up even more as the fight grew more serious. Twice she had to dodge the steaming black goo until Inuyasha finally shouted at her to get to the "village." Rin had no clue where any village was let alone the particular one he mentioned, so she just ran for it. She made her way back to the well where she saw her bag. She had packed a pocketknife in the front pocket. Quickly getting the knife out and putting the bag on her back, she went to look down the shallow well that Inuyasha claimed to save her from.

"Argggh!" Rin heard another growl in the distance. It was Inuyasha…

She looked back where she ran from. Her heart began to pound and she decided the best thing to do for now was to get far away and hide. She started to run and began to pick up the pace. Her past experience as a cross-country runner finally became useful. With her sneakers tied tight and her backpack buckled, Rin sped through the forest with the knife in her hand. She hopped over fallen tree trunks and went through puddles that were deeper than they looked. Muddy water splashed across her legs as she went on, going as fast as she could. Goosebumps crawled up her spine as she felt someone behind her, right on her tail.

"Faster, faster…" she urged herself as she pushed harder. If she weren't already dead this would be a bad way to go.

It was that same laugh as before. "You can run, but you won't get very far."

The creature seemed to be all around her. Was there anyway out of this? Rin wondered as she slowed her pace and cautiously looked around her. Where was Inuyasha? She began to worry.

"If you are so great then show yourself." Rin called out, seeming much braver than she felt at the moment.

Suddenly the creature appeared in front of her, "Very wise of you to submit."

"I'm not submitting." Rin pushed the little button on the knife and the blade popped out.

The creature tilted its' head and laughed, "You should."

Rin grasped the knife tight, holding it up. "Stay back! I will hurt you if I need to."

"Truly?" The creature seemed more amused than before.

Rin looked at it in shock. _This thing can't be serious_…

It tried to step closer to her, but Rin circled around keeping the distance between them, "What do you want from me?"

Pulling out the staff with the heads, the woman-creature eerily smiled. "I've already told you this, human."

The creature jumped at her, which made Rin let out a blood-curling scream. Without thinking Rin lifted the knife and slashed the creature across the face. It yelled at her, "My face! You stupid bitch!" It jumped again, but Rin scrambled out of the way and started running.

Cursing in her head, Rin knew this couldn't get any worse. Her legs were already feeling weak as she forced herself to keep going as fast as she could. She could hear the creature growl behind her._ This isn't good. _She could feel her heart thumping in her chest in fear_. _Taking a quick look back to see if it was near, Rin ran into something hard. Her breath stopped as she felt someone's hands grasp her arms to keep her from falling back. Shakily, she turned her eyes to see there was a tall man with long silver hair and golden eyes that reminded her of Inuyasha. Though, there was something different about them… they were colder, emotionless. His lips formed a straight line as she studied his odd markings that seemed somewhat familiar. He wore a red and white kimono; armor on his left shoulder with the opposite side being covered with something soft.

_Why am I not screaming?_ She thought, mesmerized by the stunningly handsome man.

"Rin." His voice was deep and smooth.

She knew she should have been running, getting away from this place, but she couldn't look away from him or even move. It had been so long since she felt this way… she had no sadness, no sorrow left inside of her. Until her consciousness slapped her in the face, reminding her that she was still in Sesshomaru's grasp.

_How does he know my name?_ Her mind suddenly became flustered and she abruptly pulled away from him.

"H—how do you know my name?" she took a step back. Rin was starting to grow tired of this. The two men seemed to know who she was, yet she knew nothing.

Sesshomaru took another step forward with an expressionless face, "You were dead." There was no mistake, he smelled Rin miles away and no two humans had the same scent.

_Is anyone even listening to her?_ Rin thought while bringing her hands to her temples. _This isn't real—It can't be real. This is nothing, but a dream or I'm dead somewhere, in the car, in japan._

"The car…" Rin recalled, "So I _did_ die."

A flicker of confusion streamed through his eyes, "An arrow pierced your heart."

She didn't know what to say because nothing made sense. All she knew was she had to get out of here and away from this place, or more, away from him. But something in her heart was telling her the opposite. Dismissing it, Rin just wanted to leave and go back to the life she had—she wanted Kazuma, not some adventure in a "fantasy-land" filled with strange people wanting to kill her.

"No. You're wrong." Her voice was like ice as she gripped the pocketknife causing her knuckles to turn white. Before Sesshomaru could react, Rin took off again. She ran away from him, away from everything and everyone. Exhausted and terrified, all Rin wanted was to leave and forget this had ever happened. But the thought of her life back home being nothing except grief weighed in on her. _Would it be worth it to go back?_ She wondered as one foot sped in front of the other. As she ran for her life she started to doubt herself. It would be too late before she realized, _**could**_ she even go back? 

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><p>Please review if you want to comment. Thanks! <p>


	4. Chapter 3

Author: I don't own Inuyasha.

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><p>Chapter Three: Feudal Times<p>

Rin felt like she was in a thriller movie—running through the woods after waking up in a strange place and being confronted by psychos. _Someone usually dies_, she thought as a low branch smacked her in the face. Her pace was slowing down as the muscles in her legs began to burn. In the pit of her stomach she felt like this was off, she shouldn't be running away from... _what was his name? _The man's handsome face faded into her mind. She quickly shook away the image of him. Rin wasn't even sure if she was being chased anymore. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she looked around her. This could be a trap. It didn't seem like she was being followed, but she really was. Her hand still gripped the pocketknife tightly, ready for action. Where was that one creature-woman from before? And Inuyasha? Her heart was pounding, _what do I do? _If she could find her way back to the well maybe she could get home. Inuyasha did say he found her there so it's possible that's the way back.

Her gaze went back to where she ran from until something suddenly snapped behind her making her jump and scream.

It was Inuyasha standing inches away. "Will ya' shut it?"

Rin closed her little knife and put it in her pocket before glaring at him, "Don't sneak up on people." Even though he was an arrogant jerk so far, she couldn't be more relieved he showed up instead of someone or something else.

He crossed his arms and used sarcasm, "Don't thank me or anythin'. That demon would have killed you."

She rolled her eyes, "What happened?"

"Got rid of her, no problem."

"So easily?" Rin thought it was odd, considering Inuyasha was losing the fight before she ran off.

"She just caught me off guard, don't be stupid."

She wasn't sure if she liked this guy or not. He was more than just a bit odd. Why would he save her life then act like such an ass? Rin could faintly hear Inuyasha's name being called in the distance, it echoed throughout the forest.

"Come on." Inuyasha glanced at Rin and held out his hand.

She looked at it skeptically, noticing the nails. _Are those claws?_ "Ehh…."

"If you'd rather stay here—" Rin suddenly took his hand. Inuyasha pulled her onto his back and grinned, "Hang on."

She was abruptly taken by surprise as he began to run through the forest at an intense speed. Hanging on was an understatement. Soon they reached a small village and Rin couldn't believe her eyes. The people looked like they stepped out of a history book, even the structure of the homes seemed so. When Inuyasha stopped, Rin jumped from his back and stared wide eyed. No one else appeared taken in by this other than her.

"Where am I?" Rin whispered to herself.

"Let's find Kagome." Inuyasha started to walk down the small slope into the center of the village and Rin trailed after him.

Instead of asking questions she thought she would just wait and see what would happen next. She followed Inuyasha into a wooden structure no bigger than her entire bedroom. Inside, it was musky and crowded with three people sitting together near a fire pit.

"I was calling you!" a young woman suddenly jumped from the ground and hugged Inuyasha. Then her big brown eyes turned to Rin with shock, "R-ri—rin? Is that you?"

The room was quiet. Rin had never seen this woman in her life and didn't know how to respond. "Yes?" was all she could muster.

"Kagome." The woman looked back at Inuyasha as he spoke, "I don't think Rin remembers. I found her unconscious in the Bone Eater's Well."

Confusion flicked on Kagome's face, "That's strange…"

Inuyasha nodded and someone else stood, it was another man. He had dark eyes and dark hair that was pulled back. "Rin was an eleven-year old child and killed the day after Kagome came back through the Bone Eater's Well. There is no way this is the Rin we knew." He turned to her with accusing eyes.

"Miroku…" Kagome rolled her eyes.

Rin could feel her head getting heavier by the second. She was filled with so many questions and out of nowhere, people are pointing fingers at her? Yes, her name was Rin, but she didn't know these people or this place. "No. He's right. I'm not this Rin you all mistake me for. I don't belong here, I just want to get home."

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha then back to Rin. This was all too familiar to her. "Did you go down the well outside the village?"

The memory flashed in front of Rin in a moment. She had been driving to Hana's house with Eri and spotted the shrine. When Eri went to get Hana, Rin sneaked into the shrine and was pulled to the well by some force, eventually she felt compelled to jump inside. _There was a blue sky when she looked down the well_, she recalled. That would mean the car crash was a dream and she was really unconscious in the well until Inuyasha pulled her out.

Rin looked at Kagome in the eye, "I did jump."

"But the sacred jewel no longer exists." Another woman spoke. The stern voice was still sitting on the floor. "The well can't go through time any longer."

"What does she mean?" Rin asked and Kagome looked worried. "The well is time-travel?"

Kagome sighed and bit her lip. "The well sent me from my time to here because I was the reincarnation of a priestess who guarded the sacred jewel. The jewel sent me through time, not the well. But even though the jewel was destroyed, I was able to jump through the well about seven years ago."

Rin had heard of some legendary sacred jewel, but it's just a myth. There's no way this lady could be serious.

"So, is she some reincarnation?" Inuyasha asked impatiently, he started to grow bored of this.

"It wouldn't make sense. Rin died only seven years ago and this girl is well over that age. Not to mention, Rin wasn't a priestess." Miroku thought aloud and everyone had confused looks on their faces.

"It doesn't matter." Kagome stepped forward, "There's a chance she can still get back through the well."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Miroku helped Sango up and they all made their way outside.

Before Kagome could go outside, Inuyasha grabbed her by the arm and whispered, "She has Rin's scent. She _is_ Rin. Somethin's not right here."

Kagome studied her husband and could see he was distressed, "Rin or not, she wants to go back home. We can only try, Inuyasha." She stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek that softened his golden eyes.

As they walked to the well, Rin felt something in her chest trying to hold her back. It wasn't painful or powerful, but it was enough for her to rest her hand against it. _What is this?_ Rin glared inwardly. It was similar to when she first saw the shrine and she was drawn to it, though that time it was luring her instead of acting resistant.

"You alright?" Miroku asked noticing the discomfort on Rin's face.

She lied and nodded, letting go of her chest. The well came into view and there was nothing around except grass and trees. Rin steadily walked up to it and the tugging in her chest was stronger. She did her best to ignore it and forced a smile at everyone.

"Thanks for the help." She waved and got up on the side. Her feet dangled down and she saw only dirt and broken bones at the bottom. Taking a deep breath, she jumped.


	5. Chapter 4

Author: I don't own Inuyasha.

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><p>Chapter Four: Lord Sesshomaru<p>

"I don't think it worked…" Rin called from below with irritation in her voice.

Inuyasha let out a laugh and Kagome shook her head at him. Miroku put a finger to his lips, "I could have predicted this."

Kagome shoved Inuyasha in the arm, "Go help her."

With a sigh Inuyasha went over and pulled Rin out of the Bone Eater's Well. "Guess she can't go back, huh?"

Rin brushed the dirt and ash from her jacket and hiking shorts. "Apparently." She glared.

The sensation in her chest was gone the moment she landed at the bottom of the well. It began to unnerve her what it could be, but it seemed to reside for the time being. Looking up to the sky, Rin could see it was slowly getting dark. She would have to stay the night and figure something out tomorrow. Heading back to the village, she silently listened to the bickering between the four. She learned that Miroku was married to Sango and Inuyasha was married to Kagome. Rin wondered how they all got along, but it worked, somehow.

Kagome showed her into a small room from off the side of her spacious home. "You can sleep here." She smiled at Rin.

Inuyasha had some of the village builders help construct it only three years ago. The smell of fresh cut wood still filled the house. Rin was indifferent to the situation, having to sleep on the floor, but thanked Kagome nonetheless. She was one of the kindest people she had ever met, whereas Inuyasha was the opposite. Rin remembered how similar she was to Kazuma and that was the way she liked it. They typically agreed on everything: what movie to watch, what to do, where to eat… It was nice—an easy-going relationship. The more she thought about him, the more she missed him. Rin didn't realize her mind hadn't turned to Kazuma until now. _Maybe I do need a distraction_, Rin thought.

Kagome left her with a small candle and a thick blanket. "If you need something just ask. Night, Rin." _It's weird having Rin around again_, Kagome sighed to herself_. But is it really, Rin?_

She watched Kagome go and set down her backpack next to the mat she was supposed to sleep on. Eri had all the camping gear, the blankets, pillows, sleeping bags… Rin silently cursed, wishing she had it now. Sitting down, Rin pulled out her phone and saw the low battery… not that it would have worked anyway. She untied her hair and took off her jacket. Putting on a cotton tank top and a fresh pair of shorts, she was ready for some sleep. It had been a much longer day than she anticipated and her muscles ached. After blowing out the candle Rin laid there trying to close her eyes, yet every time she did she saw him. It wasn't Kazuma, but the man from the forest. When she had run into him she suddenly felt safe, as if no one in the world could harm her. _I'm ridiculous_, Rin groaned as she tried to wash away the fantasy of the beautiful man. Turning on her side, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the darkness. Easier said than done, Rin decided keeping her eyes open was the better option. The room was pitch black, making it impossible to see more than a foot away.

Just outside the house was the man Rin thought of. Sesshomaru was as quiet as usual while he stared into the distant night, listening to Rin's tossing and turning. He replayed her death in his mind over and over again, trying to see what else he could have done. It's true her death had changed him, creating an even colder monster—no, _demon_. But he was too strong to show anyone what he truly thought, how it really affected him. She was his to protect and he had failed. When Rin ran into him in the forest, she didn't even recognize him. Sesshomaru couldn't believe she ran away, and by the sound of the pounding in her chest, she was afraid. Did he scare her? The moment he caught her scent he was taken aback, not thinking it was possible. Yet here she was lying in the other room, seven years older. No two humans had the same scent so it had to be her. He should speak with her, but Rin didn't seem to want anything to do with him.

_It's her choice_, he thought, _it has always been her choice_.

Rin felt like someone was watching her, hearing her every move. Never having a case of paranoia before, she slowly sat up and listened. The room was quiet, but the feeling was still there. Without thinking, she stood up and paced her way outside. To the left was Kagome's room so she tiptoed—good thing she was barefoot. Rin held her breath as she went down the short hallway and put on her sneakers. She stepped down the two little steps and underneath the star-lit sky. She shivered; it was breezier than she thought. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone on the ground, leaning against a huge thick tree. The long silver hair and red, white kimono… _It's_ _him_, she realized, making her heart leap. For a moment she thought she had déjà vu, as if she was in a situation similar to this once before. But as quickly as the thought came, it faded. She tried her best to approach silently and not disturb him. Eventually she noticed his golden eyes were open and aware, making her abruptly stop_. _

It was either intrigue or anxiety that suddenly made her uneasy. She wanted to leave, but why? She didn't seem to be in danger, but she did feel intimidated. Just the air around this man made her feel inferior and she wasn't sure how to act. Finally he lifted his head and his golden eyes poured into her. Rin could feel a chill go up her spine as she waited for him to say something. Then she remembered it was her who ran from him in the forest because he caught her by surprise. Recalling the moment made a small blush come to her cheeks. Rin couldn't feel anymore awkward until she spoke.

"You were in the forest…" She asked, "Why?"

He effortlessly stood and looked away from her, as if she wasn't worth his time. With an ice-cold tone he replied, "I don't need to explain myself."

She took a step closer to him, irritated with his reply. "You knew my name, I think I deserve an explanation." The man's eyes flickered back her, which made Rin nervous and she quickly regretted having such an attitude. "Please." She thought some courtesy would help.

He made an 'tsk' sound and glared, "You don't remember you were my ward. You were dead, until earlier today when I caught your scent."

"Ward?" She thought out loud, "_Who_ are you?"

"Lord Sesshomaru." He vacantly answered. "Demon Lord of the Western Lands."

Rin remembered when Inuyasha said something referring to a demon. But how is that possible? Demons don't exist, or at least, so she thought.

"I was your ward?" She mindlessly repeated. "No. No, I don't know."

He noticed her pulse increased, "You are without memory."

She shook her head, trying to either accept or overcome what Sesshomaru was telling her. "Everyone is mistaking me for someone else." She tried to explain, "Another girl named Rin… I promise you it isn't me! I jumped down some well—"

Lord Sesshomaru suddenly touched her cheek, which made her gasp. She didn't even know this man!

"You _are_ Rin." His voice was deeply certain and his eyes were transfixed with hers.

Though she was gazing directly into pools of gold, she saw an image—a memory. It was of a young girl, smiling and laughing. The girl was happy and loved those around her that she traveled with. And when her Lord was near she knew nothing could hurt her. The young girl was unconditionally in love.

"You will remember." Lord Sesshomaru cut in and Rin blinked back into focus.

She unconsciously brought her hand up to his; he hadn't realized he was still caressing her cheek. Sesshomaru's chest grew tight and he quickly let go, stepping back from her. He was taken by surprise; not many have the nerve to touch him. Rin watched, frozen in place by what just happened as he turned to walk away and into the darkness.

She wanted to call after him, but something told her he wouldn't listen anyway.

_Lord Sesshomaru_… At least she knew his name. Rin took a deep breath and made her way back to Kagome's house. How could she sleep now? Her blood was boiling. She had no idea what she saw, though it did seem to have something to do with Sesshomaru and the "Rin" he insisted she was. Waves of love and bliss had cascaded through her, it was almost consuming. Could a memory be strong enough that it captivated her this deeply? Rin was determined to find out the truth. If she were to return back to her old life then what would she gain other than grief. The loss of Kazuma had dramatically altered her so much that she thought she lost herself until now.

Reaching the house, Rin took off her shoes and quietly made it back to her room. As she went to sit down on the floor that was her bed, something knocked her back. She flew across the small room, losing her breath from the force as she hit her head on the wall.

Caught off guard and extremely dizzy, Rin tried to get back up, but was pushed back down. The room was too dark, she could barely make out the figure over her. Then she saw it was the creature from before, the demon woman that attacked her and Inuyasha. About to scream for help, the demon gripped Rin's throat. Her lungs began to burn as she scrambled for air. Bringing up her hands, Rin clawed at the demon's grip that was killing her.

"You stupid human." The demon spat on her, "You scarred my face."

Rin could see the deep, recently healed gash across the left side of her face. It ran all the way from her eyebrow to her cheekbone. Still making efforts to breathe, Rin kicked the demon in the stomach. It loosened the grip just enough for her to break free and run out of the room screaming.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" Rin ran into the room and saw they were still asleep. She rushed up to them, "Wake up! Please!" Shaking them, screaming at them… nothing seemed to work.

A dark laugh came from the doorway, "They won't wake while under my power. No one can save you in this entire pathetic village, poor thing."

A bit wobbly, Rin grabbed the sword that was laid beside Inuyasha. Unsheathing it, she held it up at the demon. "Stay where you are!" Rin pointed the weapon.

This made the demon laugh again as she raised an eyebrow. "You really think you could hurt me with that?" shaking her head and glancing at her nails, she went on, "You owe me, human. I wanted to display you, show your delightful face to the world! But you are so impolite, I may just take it for myself."

The demon looked back up at Rin and swiftly charged. Holding up her staff, Rin clutched the sword tighter and swung. Missing the demon, Rin turned back around only to be kicked in the stomach. She was sent backwards until the creature disappeared then reappeared behind her, thrusting her staff into Rin's back. She let out a scream as pain shot up her spine. Dropping the sword on the floor, Rin was panting on her hands in knees. There was no preparing herself for this—she was definitely going to die.

"Really, I thought you'd be stronger than this." The demon knelt down next to Rin. Abruptly taking a hold of Rin's hair, the demon woman forcefully pulled her up, making her cry out. Holding the staff to Rin's throat, she smiled. "But I guess all humans are a disappointment."

Rin reached out and grabbed a hold of the staff, "It won't be that easy!" She pushed it into the demon woman's chest, which took her aback. Reaching for the sword on the ground again, Rin sliced it up right as the demon went for her. The blade went through the stomach and the demon jerked back, taking the sword along with it. Suddenly the demon's eyes turned entirely red and it howled at her. It only took a moment for Rin to decide what the do next, she ran out of the house screaming. It chased after her, but this time it grew four long legs from either side of its' body like a giant spider. The demon was quickly gaining on her as she ran to the only place she could think of, the well.

Her breath was rigid and her muscles ached as she ran for her life. _I'm dead; I'm so dead,_ she thought as she pushed herself to go faster. Rin's screams continued to erupt through the trees and into the night air. The sound of her bare feet crunched on the grass.

"I will rip your head off!" The demon growled from directly behind her, forcing tears to come to Rin's eyes in fear.

The demon shot something from its mouth and onto Rin's back. It burned like hell as it ate through her tank and onto her skin. Rin cried out even louder in pain as she struggled to pick up the pace. She could feel the discomfort of her back more and more by the second. Warm blood began to drip down her body and her legs. Her feet began to blister as she aimlessly ran across anything in her path, though it was nothing compared to her back. Despite her efforts, she could feel herself slowing down and then she saw the well in the distance. It was within reach if only she could go faster… Her eyes began to grow blurry and her legs gave out from under her. Just as she fell towards the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her.

Before Rin fell unconscious, she was certain it was _he_, Lord Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru glared at the spider-demon in front of him who stopped in its tracks at the sight of him. He gently laid Rin down on the ground and stood tall towards his opponent. He unsheathed Tenseiga and charged. The spider-demon spat its' poison which was futile against the great demon lord's son. Tired and irritated, Sesshomaru sliced at the spider, making it screech in agony as it was sent into the Underworld. Quickly sheathing his blade, he went back over to Rin and turned her over. It appeared as if the demon's acid had eaten its way through the skin and flesh on her back. If he didn't hurry, she would die.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Time to Go Home 

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><p>"Rin," Eri poked her in the stomach, "Don't be such a little baby…."<p>

Rin playfully smacked her friend's arm, "I'm not! That's a high jump, and it's cold!"

Eri smirked with mischief in her eyes. "That's what makes it _badass_," she said right before pushing Rin off the cliff and into the clear water below.

The now wet, freezing-cold Rin could hear the laughter of her friends above as she popped up from the water. _Damn it, Eri! _She angrily thought, as she turned and swam to a shore made of soft little pebbles.

The moment she stalked out of the water with irritation, a tall, lean man was standing on the same shore. He had been looking out to the ocean, lost in his own thoughts. He only noticed her as she pulled herself out of the water.

But Rin stopped when she noticed him, realizing he was staring at her. Her eyes traced his black hair almost reaching his shoulders, before turning to his even darker gaze.

"Um…" she didn't know what to say, it was rather awkward.

But a small laugh on his end broke the awkwardness, "Taking a swim on such a cold day…?" He grinned, "how brave."

"Yeah…" Rin crossed her arms and involuntarily shivered. "Sorry to disturb you, my friends didn't know anyone was on the beach."

"It's fine." Suddenly, he took a step to sit down on a large rock with his eyes still on her wet form. "I come here to think."

"Here?" Her eyebrow arched with curiosity.

A thick clean blanket was tossed at her and she caught it clumsily. He had taken it out of the bag resting against the rock he was on.

"Take it."

This guy was strange, but she felt attracted to his oddness. Rin was sure that randomly meeting some guy on the beach was a bad idea. Though, she knew her friends were only a short trip up the trail on the cliff and they'd be coming back down to get her shortly.

Wrapping the blanket around herself, Rin decided to step outside her little secure box for the first time. Walking up, she slowly sat next to him on the rock. He looked at her with amused interest, probably wondering what she was planning.

"What do you think about?" Rin asked and his expression remained intrigued.

Her eyes studied the sharp handsome features on his face as he spoke, "That's private, don't you think?"

A man of few words apparently, but then he surprised her.

"Well… I guess I was wondering why someone would get a second chance at life." His sight went back out to the ocean, watching the waves wash against the shore.

"Do you want a second chance at life?" She didn't know why, but it felt like it was the right thing to say.

His eyes turned back to her as she kept her gaze on him, "You think such things exist?"

"You can't answer my question with another question." Rin smirked and he laughed.

She bit her lip at the charming sound of his amusement, until he finally answered her.

"Yes." He nodded, "I suppose that's what I want."

Though his words were carefree, Rin could see his eyes held seriousness—she could see his longing.

"How rude of me, I'm Kazuma." Kazuma held his hand out to Rin, and without knowing she would fall in love with this man… she shook it. Telling him her name in reply. 

Warm tears flooded Rin's eyelashes until dripping down the sides of her cheeks. Clutching her eyes tight, she knew her dream was an old memory of the day she met Kazuma. With such vividness… how could God be so cruel? The sorrow filling her head was nothing compared the sharp pain in her back.

_Wait_. Rin's thoughts suddenly snapped her eyes wide open. _Why does my back hurt?_

She felt like her back had been cooked over a fire… if only she could sit up, instead of resting on her stomach. She did her best to get up, but the searing pain in her back and the strange makeshift robe she wore stopped her. Flopping immediately back down on her stomach, Rin groaned. Closing her eyes again, she recalled what happened. There was a demon thing… coming after her and using acid or whatever, it tried to kill her until… Lord Sesshomaru showed up? Rin faintly remembered him breaking her fall, or at least she thought it was him.

"You're up?" A squeaky voice observed.

Turning her head, she saw it was a toad-like creature with big yellow eyes. It's face was inches from hers, closely investigating her.

Rin screamed and pushed away the short little demon, accidently straining her back in the process. "Stay away!"

The toad demon called Jaken glared at the wide-eyed girl, "You annoying human!"

"Where am I?" she asked, fixing her poorly executed attire. "Take me back to the well and Inuyasha!"

_Inuyasha_, Jaken thought, _why would she want to go to him?_

"No," he crossed his little arms, "You still need to recover." Plus Lord Sesshomaru would butcher him alive if he let this girl out of his sight.

It was a week of chaos when Lord Sesshomaru came back with the strange "Rin." After the castle's healers had treated her wounds, Jaken was told by his lord to watch the young woman with a careful eye. So that was exactly was Jaken did… he sat by her bedside as she slept. But he wasn't sure if it was truly the dead little girl from their past.

_Is it the same Rin? _Jaken pondered day by day.

His lord seemed to believe it, or else he wouldn't have brought her here. True, the day Sesshomaru-sama resurrected the dead orphan child it was a surprise to him, but providing her with such compassion again and again… Jaken glared at the girl.

Rin tried to get up a second time, this time succeeding. Jaken just sat there, saying nothing as she sat on the bed, pushing her legs over the side. The girl looked tired and sore, but that was expected since all humans were weak.

"I'm recovered, you see?" Rin gritted her teeth. Then she looked directly into his big strange eyes, "Now, let me leave."

Her tone threatened, and he could tell she was trying to be serious. Too bad for her, he feared his lord much more. But just as he was going to repeat the answer he gave her before, the door opened to the room.

"Jaken." The towering Sesshomaru slightly narrowed his golden eyes at his servant.

The stocky demon immediately knew what his lord implied and left the room in a hurry, shutting the door behind him. The stoic Sesshomaru kept his gaze on Rin the whole time and she seemed to randomly become interested in everything in the room besides him. Her eyes stared into the smooth wooden walls and danced across until they fell onto the large intricate wardrobe lined with gold. _Has that been here the whole time? _She wondered.

"Rin." The sound of Sesshomaru's voice made her jump as she looked at him. He remained where he was, at least six feet away from her near the door.

"Thanks for your help and all, but I need to get going." Her words burst through her lips the same pace as the nervous beating in her chest.

Sesshomaru was instantly surprised, but his appearance showed nothing as he stepped closer to her. He noticed her fingers clutched the sheets of the bed and her lips tightened as he did so. "You wish to leave?"

Rin didn't know why, but she didn't expect him to ask her that. She thought he would just nod or something. "I have to go home." _Can't he see I don't belong here?_ She thought angrily. "I don't even know where I am…"

"This was your home." Sesshomaru kept his usual calm, hard tone. "Do you think you'll be harmed while residing here?"

"No—" Her nerves made her answer faster than she wanted. "Wait, what? That's not what I meant." The moment her eyes shifted away from him, he could tell she was uneasy. "I have to go back to the well, to find my _real_ home."

Rin just wished this Sesshomaru guy would back off… with him around she couldn't clear her head. Nothing seemed to make sense, not even reality! And being around him didn't help the situation. As appealing as he was, Sesshomaru's presence was pressuring, and Rin had no clue what was really going on. If anything, this handsome lord's only task seemed to be to cloud her judgment.

Rin realized he wasn't listening to her as he opened the door, "You'll stay here until I say you're fit to leave." And left.

Her jaw dropped as the sound of the door shut. _What did he just say to me?_ She felt like charging after him.

"_Oh_, I don't think so!" Rin said to herself, as she tried to get up and stand. Aches shot through her upper body, but she desperately told herself it were nothing but a scratch.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin called after him as she tightened the annoying, makeshift robe around herself. "Get back here." She huffed while waddling to the door.

After pulling the heavy door open, she peeked out into the hallway. Instantly her eyes went wide with shock from the sight.

Rin's jaw was now loose from amazement rather than anger, as she looked over the high oval balcony. I_'m in a freaking palace!_ She realized. All around her numerous rows of carved stone pillars, and above her, an entirely painted ceiling over five stories tall. There had to be at least fifteen rooms surrounding the two, huge staircases made of marble. Rin stepped closer to the balcony and looked down, almost getting dizzy from the sight. All she could think was, _there's no way this is my home!_

"Excuse me, miss." Someone cleared their throat, making Rin turn in the direction.

"Hi. Um…" Rin stuttered when she saw it was another demon. Clearly a female one, and like Sesshomaru, this demon looked practically human. Minus the two red stripes that fanned out from above and underneath her eyelids. Her light, auburn hair was folded up into a braided bun-like hairstyle.

Her bright emerald green eyes closed as she slightly bowed her head. However, she stood several inches taller than me, so it didn't do much. "I'm Katsu. I'm to keep you company for today. We should change you out from those…" she looked a little uncomfortable as she touched the collar of her ankle-length, blue kimono, "bed linens."

"Oh." Rin looked down to her own attire, realizing now that it wasn't really a robe, but just layers of sheets wrapped around her. A bright blush spread across her cheeks as she remembered Sesshomaru saw her this way. She crossed her arms, "Right. This should be dealt with first."

She followed Katsu back into the room she came from. Closing the door behind her, she watched as Katsu walked to the dresser and started taking out an extravagant red silk kimono with elegant white cranes embroidered upon the back. Though it wasn't in her own hands, Rin could see the fabric was thick, heavy, flawless, and without doubt, the most expensive thing she would ever wear in her life.

"No." Rin tried to rush up to Katsu. "I have a backpack with my clothes somewhere."

The demon woman looked at her with a confused expression. "These are your clothes."

Rin narrowed her eyes, "No they aren't."

"Yes these are—"

"Put them back!" Rin pointed at Katsu and raised her voice. Her face was red with annoyance, and then embarrassment when she saw she overreacted.

Immediately Katsu was unsure what to do, but nonetheless, folded the kimono back up, placing it delicately into the wardrobe. "Forgive me, miss. I don't understand."

Rin smacked her forehead with frustration. "I just want to go home…." A quiet groan escaped her throat before she looked back to Katsu. "Please, go get me Sesshomaru. I'll find my backpack myself, if it's even here."

Katsu swept herself from the room faster than Rin anticipated. Shrugging it off, Rin sat on the bed she woke up in earlier. The more she walked around the stronger her back became, but she was still healing. Rin could feel the pain with every movement. A sigh pressed against her lips as she lied on her side. _How do I even get home? _She wondered. _Am I still alive… is this all a dream? _

Rin had no idea, but she knew she had to go back to the well and find out how it worked. _There has to be a way_, she promised herself. As sad as her life had become, she still couldn't find herself to leave her mother, or her memories of Kazuma so brashly. Inuyasha and his companions claimed the well traveled through time, and though Rin supposedly went through it herself, she was still skeptical because of how ridiculous it all was.

_Why did the car crash have to be the dream?_ Rin rubbed her temples with the overload of questions she somehow managed to block out until now. Of course, being stuck here wasn't even half of it. She still had the whole other "Rin" thing to deal with. She had looked it over again and again, and no. She wasn't the child these people presumed her to be… she remembered her life with her mother and father in the twentieth century. There was no Lord Sesshomaru with long silver hair, no history book palaces, no Inuyasha, and certainly, no demons, PERIOD.

Rin hid her face in the bed as she mumbled, "What the hell... none of this is supposed to be possible."

She had to face the truth. No one was around to simply explain this all to her and so that left Rin one option: she had to find out for herself. She knew she would have to face the music when the time came… once she found a way back to the well. Perhaps she could ask this Lord Sesshomaru fellow, if he cared at all. She highly doubted he did, but it was worth a shot.

Still in her robe of bed linens, Rin got up from the bed and slowly went to the wardrobe with her back injury in mind. She opened it and found nothing revealing her backpack, but something else caught her eye. Right there… all the way on the _top_ shelf above the hanging obis were her shorts, tank top, bra, socks, and sneakers, all washed.

Rin gave an exasperated grunt as she glanced to the bottom shelf, wondering if she could use it as a ladder to grab her clothes. A deep breath later, she placed her foot on it and it slightly bounced. She thought it looked sturdy enough to hold her weight. It wasn't like she was a beastly woman... Rin then placed her other foot on the one above it and that one creaked, making her feel even worse. The wardrobe had her full body weight now, she realized as she stretched one arm up to try and reach her edge of her folded pile of clothes. As she did so, she could've sworn she felt the furniture sway, however, she was determined.

_Why would they put it so high?_ She glared as she tried again while cursing herself, _I'm so freaking short!_ This time the wardrobe _definitely_ swayed, just as she knocked the pile of clothes from the shelf onto herself. A loud scream involuntarily came from her throat as she fell to the floor, but she didn't know if it was because of the pain from her back, or the giant wardrobe about to crush her.

Before it had the chance, a hand suddenly shot out from nowhere, stopping the wardrobe like it weighed nothing. Removing the fallen shorts from her head, Rin looked up into two golden eyes filled with either fury or annoyance, she couldn't tell.

She didn't have the chance to thank Sesshomaru as he shoved the furniture across the room. The beautiful wardrobe flew back and smashed into the wall, forcing Rin to cover her ears and head from the noise. Opening her eyes, Sesshomaru reached down and grabbed Rin by her arm, forcing her to her feet without a word.

"Hey!" Rin slapped his clawed hand and he started growling at her. "What the heck? Let go!"

In fact, Sesshomaru did as she asked and released her arm, but then pushed her so she fell onto the bed. A loud gasp hissed through her teeth from the pain it caused her back.

"Get dressed." He commanded her in a cold tone. "Now."

Rin scrambled up and shot her darkest glare at him. "_Thanks_ for the help, now leave so I can."

His face was still, but his eyes looked like he wanted to rip her apart. He lifted his chin at her and sneered before leaving, closing the door behind him.

_He can really be a bastard_, Rin thought and wished she said it to his face. She thought Sesshomaru could've been a cool cucumber until he so easily flipped his angry switch. Rin quickly understood the man had near to no patience. His temper practically made him impossible to deal with. _Is he upset because he wanted the "Rin" he once knew? And instead, got me? _Rin's eyes narrowed at her contemplation. There was no way she could know for sure, not unless she had the courage to ask the demon lord.

But she knew she never would. It was the last thing she wanted to find out. What if he told her something that confused her again, for everything seemed to make her situation more complicated? She felt like she was beginning to lose grasp on what mattered. _No_, she demanded inwardly, _I will find my way back home, or die trying._

8

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	7. Chapter 6

Thanks for the awesome reviews, glad there's someone out there enjoying this! 

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><p>Chapter Six: Overcome<p>

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><p>To Rin's great disappoint, when she held up her tank top she saw the back was seriously torn. The three uneven holes were big enough to fit her fist through.<p>

_Just my luck_, Rin angrily remembered her encounter with the strange, evil demon lady from the village near the well. The evidence also showed in the same areas on her sport-bra, _my only shirt is ruined_, she sighed. Putting on her clothes, regardless of how bad it looked, Rin sarcastically joked_, too bad I didn't accept the kimono_. As if she would ever wear something so ridiculous and immobile… she felt sorry for the women during this era.

Rin suddenly noticed she had no idea what era she was in. Her eyebrows furrowed at her stupidity. There was so much she had to find out, in order to get herself out of this whole mess.

_Why is this impossible phenomenon happening to me? _She felt like she asked this question every freaking minute, but with the absurd position she found herself in… it only left her one person to interrogate. _One_ particular person she didn't want to deal with. Never before had Rin enjoyed being around men similar to Sesshomaru. The demon whom she thought looked so lovely until he revealed his stone-cold, controlling personality. During the time she ran into him in the forest, the expression in his golden gaze made him appear to be different. If anything, he looked to be more mesmerized by her. That was also when she learned who she was in his eyes: an eleven-year-old girl, his ward who died. How many years ago? She wasn't sure if Sesshomaru had said.

_No_, Rin shook her head confidently, knowing she wasn't what he claimed she was. She wanted to scream in his face, "_I'm not her!" _

Giving herself no more time to think about her circumstance, Rin needed to stop her feelings from destroying her sanity. Too much had happened for anyone to comprehend, and of course, Rin was aware of the limited answers. She couldn't think of one solid explanation on what was occurring... _demons_, for one, never existed before. Yet, in this time they're supposedly real? She snorted skeptically. Well sure, a demon was in her face and tried to kill her, and now it looked like another wanted to control her or something.

Honestly to Rin, none of this seemed real. _Everything feels like a dream, _she thought and her lips tightened. She realized she was thinking way too much again and fixed her eyes on the door as she opened it.

Stepping into the hall, Rin wasn't surprised to see the demon maid from before, Katsu, bowing her head to her.

"Miss," Katsu said in a hushed voice to the human girl. "Follow me to your meal, please."

Rin hadn't even noticed she hadn't eaten for… another realization came to her, "how long have I been asleep?" she groaned too quiet for Katsu to her. Rin guessed she was probably passed the point of hunger.

"Yeah, okay." Rin smiled and followed the green-eyed demon down steps.

Rin paced herself next to Katsu who led them through the large, oval foyer appearing as if it had been completely dipped in gold. The maid then made her way down one of the _numerous_ winding halls which branched off. From a glimpse around the marvelous foyer, Rin saw each hallway had their own unique look. This one in particular had creamy white marble pillars with rays of freckled amber, architecturally standing along either side them as they walked. The tall, elegant structures were as perfectly polished as the matching marble on the floor beneath a deep, plush, red velvet carpet running seamlessly down the center of the wide walkway. The golden trim of the rich fabric sparkled underneath the extending skylight above, catching Rin's eye every now and then.

It wasn't long until Katsu hesitated near a double-sided door. The wood was carved and painted to show the waves of an ocean. Rin was transfixed by its' beauty until Katsu had opened it for Rin. "My master Lord Sesshomaru waits for you."

Rin's eyes went wide as she gasped in annoyance, "What?! He's been waiting for me?"

Katsu immediately got down on her hands and knees, bowing her head to the floor so her nose would touch it. "This is twice I've failed you."

"Get up," Rin pulled the demon girl up the best she could. "I'm not mad at you. I'm not freaking Sesshomaru."

Before Katsu had the chance to touch the floor with her nose again, Rin went through the doors and entered the biggest dining room she had ever been in. A long rectangular table of unblemished white wood stretched so far it could seat over a fifty people, easy. There was a massive golden chandelier with countless extending limbs of solid gold, holding blazing candles and dripping with various shades of round sapphires and diamonds. But not even the extravagant sakura tree paper on the three story walls, or the trays of streaming food took Rin's gaze. Her eyes were only for Sesshomaru as Rin spotted him sitting at the head of the table, furthest from the entry she came through. There were several sets of doors that blended into the sakura walls she realized, as she carefully went down the small step into the room. The door closed behind her when she let it go, causing the silent room to feel uncomfortable. Mostly it was because of Sesshomaru's glowering stare.

"Sit and eat." He commanded as he looked away from her, taking a sip of his tea.

_Asshole, _Rin could see the small cup in his clawed hand, fighting the urge to yell back and pour it on his head. Such fantasies forced her to narrow her eyes, developing an annoyed glare as she slowly approached the table with scores of deliciously cooked food. The smell of baked pork buns, sesame oil, and pickled ginger from the various dishes filled her nose. Her stomach was on the verge of growing at the sight of the artistically lain out food, but she kept her glare on Sesshomaru. Rin realized all too well he was eating absolutely nothing.

"You first." Rin said and pulled out the chair to his left. His eyes darkened at her when he saw her sit.

His face appeared passive. "Eat."

"You can't order me." Rin had to strive for her patience, doing her best to make a demon understand. "I told you I want to leave. Take me back—"

Sesshomaru leaned over and his hand reached up, grabbing her by the chin. The hold wasn't painful, but the move itself was fast and surprising enough to shut her up.

Sesshomaru's face was only a few inches from Rin's, indulging her in his beauty. "You think I'm ordering you?'

Rin clenched her teeth and felt her face redden. "Don't change the subject." She ripped her chin from his grasp, barely succeeding. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not the little girl you knew, there's nothing you can do to keep me here!"

Sesshomaru went to lie back against his chair as if Rin had said nothing. However, Rin noticed his golden eyes were emotionless, completely void of feeling. Her head threatened to fall into the palms of her hands, not knowing how she could be any clearer to the demon.

"I'll allow you to leave." His words snapped Rin from her thoughts, causing her look back at him. Sesshomaru was now standing next to her seat, making her feel tiny in comparison. "But, you will no longer be my ward. The cost is to never see this Sesshomaru again."

At first Rin had no idea what to say, but then almost laughed. "That's the point, isn't it? I mean… I was never your ward. From what I've heard, I think I'm from another time. Surely," Rin rubbed the back of her neck and looked away, "you can see _that_."

She barely heard Sesshomaru move when she looked up to see he was opening one of the doors. "It's your choice."

Sesshomaru left the room so fast he was already gone, not even a second passed after he said his words. When door closed, Rin was suddenly alone with a table of food that could feed a small army. _What did he mean by that?_ Rin wondered. If such things were true he never would've tried to force her to stay.

Rin's eyes couldn't look away from the door he went through.

When Sesshomaru left the dining hall, he encountered the same feat that challenged him the last time. What Rin told him appeared to be truer every time he spoke with her. It wasn't easy for Sesshomaru to look at the very face of the child he had once allowed himself to protect. He felt like he had lost his pup, doing what he could to help her from this trance she was in. _She recollects nothing! _Inside, he felt his confused rage.

Sesshomaru knew Rin only saw him as some controlling demon she feared and wanted to get away from. _Like all humans_, he narrowed. If Rin claimed this wasn't her home and was never his ward… then he could do nothing. _This human girl is nothing to me_, Sesshomaru told himself, _the Rin I knew died seven years ago. _

Sesshomaru strolled quickly through his palace, eventually stopping at a bare wall. It was located at the end of one of the many hallways. Quickly he withdrew a drop of his blood with his claw, drawing two small characters on the wall. Only a second passed when the whole wall suddenly vanished, showing the true end of hall continuing on. After he went through, the false image of the wall was replaced just as Rin turned the corner.

Rin had been searching for Sesshomaru, wandering around the massive palace. _I'm lost_, she huffed with frustration at the four different turns of the hallway before her. She spun around and looked at the wall she had no idea Sesshomaru just went through. Stepping up closer she saw to spots of blood fading as if someone invisible was wiping it away.

"What the…?" Rin touched the nearly gone characters and out of nowhere, the whole entire wall in front of her vanished.

Rin stood there with her jaw dropped before stepping forward into the hidden part of the hallway. When she turned around she saw the wall was still gone, but when she put her hand to it, there was some sort of invisible barrier. _Huh?_ From Rin's reality, there was no technology that could do that.

Turning around Rin saw the only way to go was down one of three separate halls, each with their own door. Her eyes shifted from one to the next, not knowing which to pick. She felt like she was in a game show… which door uncovered Sesshomaru? A faint smile flicked at the corner of her mouth as she visualized it.

Rin went for the one in the center, going straight down the hall. Reaching the door, her fingers hesitated at the touch of the cold metal knob when she felt familiar occurrence. There was a humming against her palm on the door.

_This feeling…_ Rin remembered the sensation from the shrine.

Looking down at her hand on the handle, Rin was unsure if she wanted to find out why this was happening to her. The last time she went ahead with something like this, letting her curiosity get the best of her, it didn't turn out very well. _Could my situation grow any worse_, Rin sarcastically reasoned, clutching the handle tight.

The strange sensation grew, now compelling her, growing stronger and stronger until she succumbed. In the end she couldn't resist opening the door. Her stomach swirled and leapt, tickling her as she walked into the pitch black room. A twitching smile came to her lips as she laughed quietly in the dark.

_Why am I feeling this way?_ Rin's thoughts were wild with fear and confusion, so much so she forgot she was looking for Sesshomaru. _This is more intense than the time in shrine._

Closing her eyes, Rin brought her hands to her head. "What _is_ this?" She asked herself, feeling alone and blind.

The sensation grew to the point where Rin could barely control her own movement. As if she was a puppet, she walked further into the dark room, her sneakers scuffing the floor. _Am I being possessed?_ Rin worried, as she looked through her eyes without any sway over her body.

Her legs eventually stopped and Rin felt like she was now in the center of the room.

"Rin." She heard a rough deep voice say her name, echoing all around her.

Rin's eyes cautiously looked around the darkness, trying to spot where the person was. "Who's there?" The high pitch of her voice gave away her fear.

_Why can't I move_, she began to grow anxious.

She heard footsteps come closer to her but saw no one. Immediately she wished she could run or something, but there was nothing! Her legs wouldn't listen. "Stop!" Rin yelled and the footsteps ceased. "Stay back, whoever you are."

A faint light began to grow in front of her, forming the outline of a tall body. Rin was literally frozen in place until she saw the form grow from the darkness around her. The faint light sucked in every shadow until a solid figure appeared, standing a head taller than Rin. The unknown person was cloaked practically head to toe in the deepest black. The room now had it's natural light and Rin could see she was in some sort of old armory chamber.

_How is this possible?_ Her mind was in awe.

The concealed figure stood his ground, "How are you, Rin?"

"You know my name—who are you?" Rin couldn't even move her fingers if she wanted to.

The figure brought up his hand to take down the hood of his cloak. A masked face was then shown to her with short hair and eyes the same black as his clothing. But when he pulled down the fabric covering the lower half of his face, Rin already knew. If she could, she would've fallen to her knees. No words dared come to her lips. Only the tears in her eyes and the expression on her face revealed her thoughts.

"Kazuma."

Rin wasn't sure if she was the one to say the name, or if it was him. Faster than a gust of wind, her mind was clouded, mystified, and disheveled. Rin wasn't sure if this was real, and if it was, how was it possible?

"You're dead." Rin chocked. "You can't be him."

The figure who looked exactly like Kazuma smiled. His smile was perfectly the same, Rin realized. Her heart leapt… pumping far to quick for her to breath normally. The strange sensation curling her stomach pulsed in unison with her heart.

"You see me, Rin?" His infinite dark eyes looked into her, not even blinking. "I'm here."

"Of course I see you, I'm talking to you." Rin snapped and suddenly, she felt her body go closer to him. Her eyes widened, "What's happening to me, are you doing this?"

His face grew amused, "No…."

Rin was now more perplexed than ever. Glancing away from the man who claimed he was Kazuma, she couldn't believe any of this. "This is a dream, isn't it?"

A hand rested on Rin's shoulder, forcing her to look up into Kazuma's eyes. A small smirk rested at his lips as he spoke, "A child's bones were laid to rest and you were born."

Rin looked as if she had been smacked in the face, "You're not making any sense."

Kazuma slightly laughed, "I make sense… you however, won't listen." His eyes became more stern as she took his hand from her shoulder. "I'm telling you the answer to what you're searching for—why you're here. The day we met, I mentioned a second chance, a second life…"

"Shut up!" Rin suddenly yelled at him, a loud scream erupting through the small armory they were in. _I've had enough of this!_ She growled inwardly as she looked at the Kazuma figure. "The only answer I'm looking for is a way back home, to the twentieth century! And instead, I'm talking to my dead fiancé. I'm going insane."

The figure before Rin frowned at her words. "It'll take time to accept it, Rin."

"Go away!" Rin threatened him, "You _can't_ be real, just something sent to torment me!"

As sudden as when it came, the strange sensation controlling her body ceased, completely vanishing along with the form of Kazuma. No one stood before Rin now… she was completely alone, surrounded by countless racks and shelves displaying perched, old fashioned weapons. Speckles of dust floated through the air, Rin could see it due to the dim glow coming from oil lamps spaced along the walls.

The silence was stiffening to Rin until she felt a chilling breeze behind her. She spun around, preparing herself for another unwanted encounter, but what she faced was a plain silver goblet upon a tall, stone pedestal. _Why would a cup be in an armory?_ Before Rin could take another step to touch it, the door swung open to the right of her, on the other side of the room. The abrupt sound of it slamming in forced her jump, glancing quickly to see Lord Sesshomaru standing in the doorway, his eyes blazing red.

Rin backed up from the goblet and held her hands up. She felt a very strong sense she wasn't supposed to be in this room. "I'm sorry—"

But Sesshomaru wasn't listening to her, at all. Face to face with the human girl now, he used his demon-speed to appear before her. He could only tell by the rapid beating of her chest and the widened look of her eyes… she was afraid.

"You're not to touch anything in this room." Sesshomaru angrily grabbed Rin by her upper arm. She squeaked at his tightened, clawed grip, "How did you get in here?"

Rin could feel her ribcage slightly shake in horror under his intense red glare. She had never seen Sesshomaru so pissed off at her, so _demon_-like. _This guy could easily hurt me_, Rin seemed to realize, causing her to stutter in reply. "I… I don't know—the wall disappeared and I went down the hall."

_Is that all she could tell me? _Sesshomaru deepened his glare at her. "There is a barrier no one can pass, except myself."

Sesshomaru towered over the human girl, who didn't look like she knew what to say. By look on her face, she had no idea what he meant. His glowing red eyes watched her, as she shrugged. Using her other hand she tried to sneakily remove his grip. In reply, he used one of his claws to break a small point in her skin.

"Sesshomaru," Rin cried out and tried to rip her arm from him, "you're hurting me!"

He pulled Rin's arm inward, accidently making her hit her head against the bottom of his shoulder pauldron. The cold expression in his eyes showed he had no intention of doing as she pleaded.

Sesshomaru was overly suspicious of Rin now… questions about her sprouted through his mind faster than his inhuman speed. _How could she so easily get through the barrier? _He pressed himself inwardly, _there's no way she's a mere human. _Knowing well the child Rin he once cared for had no power of any sort, he now looked upon this female as an imposter. How could he have been so foolish to let her in his home? A deep growl rumbled from his throat, frightening Rin even more.

"I didn't do anything…" Rin rubbed her head the hand of her free arm, "I touched it and it vanished into thin air. If you don't believe then I don't know how else to prove it."

The demon looked away from her, raising his chin so she could only peer up at him at his great height. "Offer me a reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"Because I'm in some stupid old armory?" Rin's jaw was slack and her eyes shifting in worry.

"Breaking through my barrier proves you're not Rin." Sesshomaru stated in his usual cold tone, sending a shiver down Rin's spine. "Evidence concludes you're a deceiving enemy, wearing the face of my ward in effort to earn my trust."

Everything he said, Rin knew how to counteract it. However, he would probably mutilate her if she started cursing at him, calling him ridiculous. "Wait," Rin looked at him, feeling tears in the corner of her eyelid forming. "I'm not deceiving you—I've been straight up! I've told you I'm not your ward. This was a mistake from the beginning on your end. I came here without giving any consent."

Sesshomaru then let go of her arm and pushed Rin, forcing her to fly backward. A yelp escaped her lips as her back landed against the pedestal of the goblet she saw before. Rin looked up to watch the cup slightly wobble back and forth until falling forward, bouncing off the top of her head and on the floor.

Rin's eyes were round with surprise as she glanced from the goblet, then to Sesshomaru who appeared a foot before her. In his hands was now a blade… _where did that come from? _Rin fearfully stared at the long, sharp edge.

"Die." His voice was forbidding, more frigid than Rin had ever heard before.

Lord Sesshomaru was beyond mad at this point, Rin could easily see it. She had to use every ounce of her awareness to shove her body out of the way of his oncoming blade.

"Holy shit!" Rin screamed as she scrambled forward on her hands and knees, crawling away from the demon lord.

As fast as she could she stood and ran for it, but barely reached the doorway as Sesshomaru grabbed her by the back of her tank and sports-bra. Without hesitation, Rin felt another apprehensive shriek leave her lips.

Sesshomaru threw her back to the ground, roughly bruising her hip and arm in the process. As soon as she was back on the floor, Rin struggled to crawl away again, but Sesshomaru reappeared right in front of her and the door. "Enough cowardice." His voice commanded and he pointed the tip of the blade at her.

Rin was now on her knees before him, looking up into his scarlet eyes which held so much hate for her so promptly. _He finally has seen I'm not the Rin he claimed me to be_, she thought sadly, _and he'll kill me for it. _

"You're such a bastard." Rin couldn't help her words for she knew he meant to murder her. "Go ahead, _Lord_ Sesshomaru. Kill me, an innocent, unarmed woman."

A snarl came from him as Sesshomaru went forward, aiming the blade directly at her briskly thumping heart. Rin closed her eyes and remained in her kneeled position, waiting for the blow ending her life. However, when nothing came, she opened her eyes.

Completely covering her skin, surrounding her body was a violet light, obstructing Sesshomaru's blade. In fact, the expression he wore almost matched Rin's. Sesshomaru's eyes were now gold and wide as he stared at the girl in front of him in wonder. Rin was about to speak until Sesshomaru suddenly fell to the ground unconscious.

"Huh?" Rin got up from her position on the floor, the violet light around her slightly fading with time. She went to Sesshomaru and saw his eyes were closed and his breathing deep. "Did he fall asleep?" She wondered out loud as she flicked his cheek with her finger. When he made no move a huge smile of triumph filled her face.

_Not only am I going to live, but I'm getting the hell out of here!_ Rin could have leapt with joy, regardless of the odd occurrences continuously happening to her.

Standing, Rin made her way to the door before looking back to Sesshomaru's fallen form. Her eyes narrowed at him as she wondered what to do next. _He tried to seriously kill me_, she sighed, _hopefully I'll never see him again._ With one last glance, Rin left the demon lord, for good.

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	8. Chapter 7

I don't own Inuyasha. Thanks for all the reviews!

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><p>Chapter Seven: The Unexpected<p>

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><p>When Rin left the old armory containing a certain unconscious demon, there was a happy hop in her step. Coming face to face with the barrier and without even thinking, Rin walked right through the invisible wall. Because she came from the opposite way this time, she hardly noticed the barrier was still there.<p>

Distracted with the turn of events,Rin noticed her situation was finally improving. _Someone is definitely on my side this time_… she grinned, as she stepped into the familiar bright hall. Rin soon trailed her back to the large oval foyer with only a few wrong turns. Stepping in front of the two grand sweeping staircases, she now wondered what to do next. She bit her lip in thought and considered her available options.

_How do I get back to that well_, her mind pondered, _when I've no clue where it is, or how far away I am?_ Rin appeared as if she had been slapped in the face when she abruptly realized, _what if it takes __**days**__?_ Her eyes darkened with the thought.

"What are you doing_, straying_ around without permission?!"

Rin heard a familiar, loud squeaky voice come from behind her. She turned to see it was indeed the strange toad-demon she met earlier. "Jaken, right?" Rin recalled that's what Sesshomaru named him.

"Hn." Jaken huffed, puffing his chest out. "Where is Lord Sesshomaru? It's already passed dusk and patrol should've left by now." Towards the end he seemed to be talking more to himself than her.

"I don't—" Rin was about to lie, until a brilliant idea came to her, causing a large smirk to fill her face. "_Actually_, I did see him, he said I could go home and to tell you to take me back to the Bone Eater's well." _I think that's what Inuyasha once called it… _Rin hazily remembered.

Jaken looked extremely skeptical. "Why would my lord not tell me directly?"

"Your _lordship_ is sleeping." Rin spoke the truth, stifling her laughter threatening to come out. She placed a hand over her mouth, "seriously," she muffled it again, "out cold." She was well aware of how promiscuous it sounded.

"_Sleeping_?" He repeated her words as if he couldn't believe her. Rin watched as the little green demon eyed her cautiously. "Then, he must've mentioned to take A-un?"

_This toad thing is so gullible_! Rin could've smacked her knee at her genius. She didn't care she had no idea what he meant by taking "A-un," so she nodded anyway. "Yes. I need to leave immediately. Lord Sesshomaru was insistent on that."

Jaken hummed and scratched a finger to his chin. "My lord _has_ appeared to be in a slightly worse mood lately."

"_Really_?" Rin gasped with fake shock and then leaned down to his super short level, whispering. "Could it be… he doesn't want me here…"_ Will this freaky toad see through my act? His lord DID come at me with a sword, telling me to die after all_, Rin thought bitterly.

_Lord Sesshomaru would certainly benefit from her leaving_, Jaken immediately commended as he looked at her ugly, torn clothing. In his opinion, it revealed way too much skin. _Doesn't even know how to dress properly,_ Jaken sighed, understanding what the human girl said was for the best. "Then we shouldn't wait any longer." He squeaked as his staff thumped the floor.

"I couldn't _agree_ more." Rin eagerly reached down and grabbed Jaken by the arm, pulling him with her. "Let's go."

The green imp being dragged by the girl started to smack her leg with his staff. "Stop touching me, you reek like _human_!" He shrieked and landed another whack on Rin, this time much harder on her butt.

"Hey!" Rin let go of his arm and rubbed her behind. "_You,_ little green shit!" The word "shit" echoed throughout the great gold foyer, as she looked at Jaken with daggers in her eyes, _he just hit my ass!_

"Wrong way, stupid girl." Jaken gave her a mean look as he trailed off.

Jaken waddled in the opposite direction as Rin hatefully narrowed her eyes at his tiny back, eventually following him to a hall behind the giant staircases. He led them to a doorway showing a long flight of old stone steps, the path growing narrow so only one could walk through at a time.

Going forward, they walked down. Rin's sneakers scuffed along the long rough grooves of the weathered stone. _This has to be an older part of the palace_, Rin realized as she glanced at the floor, following Jaken quietly.

Torched lights swung from a draft high above them like a guiding path of light, brightening the way down the shallow steps. They came to the end of the curving staircase as a single, wide outline of a door rested at the bottom. It had the same exact caramel stone as the walls around it, almost appearing nonexistent at a first look. Rin saw there was no handle while Jaken used his staff to push it inward.

The door shifted against stone, moving inward as if it was attached to some kind of mechanical contraption. Rin rolled her eyes and moaned when she saw another flight of steps appearing before them. She felt herself grow more nervous, _how many steps do we need to take?! Sesshomaru will wake up before I even have the chance to leave this confusing place._

"How much longer, Jaken?" Rin asked as he hopped down the steps.

At first Jaken hesitated before going down the next stair when he heard the girl's words. _Does she know how much the old Rin used to ask that?_ Jaken glanced at the girl, seeing she was waiting for him to speak. "Be patient!" He glared at her before continuing on.

The response made Rin want to punch the toad demon, right in the face. But that'd probably get her another bruising smack from his staff, and she had enough rough play from Sesshomaru. "You know," Rin pressed an innocent finger to her lip before saying, "I could kick you down these stairs, _toad_. There seems to be a lot of them."

"Don't think about it, human." Jaken peeped at her, but slightly picked up the speed.

Rin began to count the miserable minutes until they made it to the bottom. She was surprised to see an expanse of stables.

"A stable?" She asked herself, admitting it was her first time in one. _It sure smells like it, _Rin wrinkled her nose at the strong odor of the room_._

Not saying anything, Jaken went up to the nearest one. Rin had to walk up to the front of the huge wooden box with walls taller than her. When she saw it housed a dragon with two heads, Rin's eyes were two big circles at the sight. "Is that…" she appeared to look shocked, then curious, "a _two_-_headed,_ _dragon_?"

"A-un," Jaken called the creature as he opened the iron bared gate to the stable.

The creature opened all four eyes and both heads looked interestedly at Rin, who stood still near the gate.

_Don't tell me we're riding that! _Rin went unconsciously rigid under its' gaze after backing away a few feet. It was obvious the demon terrified her. Never had she seen something so unbelievable... so, fantasy like. _This is getting past the point of ridiculous, it's almost hard __**not**__ to accept it, _Rin thought. If this was her way home, she had to suck it up.

The demon dragon got up, standing up on four strong legs powered by layers of thick muscle. When it did, Rin would compare it with a large horse… then it lifted it's two long necks up. No, a _monstrous_ horse, she reconsidered.

Jaken took the leather reigns hanging from the rack on the wall, slipping it over A-un's heads. "It's dark now, we'll have to ride the whole way." The little demon explained to Rin, who didn't appear to be listening. She just stared at him as he put on the saddle.

After everything was tight and secure, Jaken hopped up, looking at Rin expectantly. "Stop your dawdling and hurry up!" Then he mumbled something together, like "filthy" and "human."

"_Okay,"_ Rin shot him a glare, mumbling under her breath "imp" as she took a cautiously approached A-un.

When one of the heads went down to sniff and nuzzle her, Rin hesitated. _It's not going to eat me, is it? _She glanced into the slit pupils of the reptilian's eyes, quickly looking away with a gulp. Shakily she hoisted herself behind the toad demon, her feet dangling off the ground as she shifted on the uncomfortable seat. _When I get home, will I remember this?_ Her mind ventured until Rin felt movement under her.

A-un walked forward, causing Rin to gasp uneasily, clutching the saddle she sat on with a knuckle-white grip. As soon as the dragon trotted from the stable, they now faced a large double-door exit, opening up to the night sky. The large two-headed beast pushed off the ground, forcing Rin to hold back her scream, clenching her teeth tight in terror.

The speed and impact of flying off the ground made her stomach spin. The wind blew through her hair, whipping back and forth across her face. Glancing down, Rin felt dizzy due to how far up they were. Now outside of the great palace she had found herself in, she could see how big it truly was. For a moment Rin forgot she was riding on the back of a two-headed dragon with a toad demon, as she looked at the breathtaking structure. _It's a stronghold_, she realized, _a palace fortress of demons._ On the top of a small grassy mountain, the highest peak could easily overlook the massive forest surrounding it. The group of trees was nothing, however, just specks in comparison to the large, towering layout of Sesshomaru's home.

Rin's cheeks and nose were rosy from the chilling air by the time her nerves calmed. Watching the palace fading over the horizon and out of view, Rin felt the weight from her shoulders disappear as her eyes went to moon. Grasping her attention, the glow was bright and the stars sparkling more than she had ever seen. Rin couldn't remember a time when she had seen such a beautiful summer night. _I'm in the past_, she told herself, _there would be no city lights to hide the stars._ A glimpse of a smile came to her lips, _if only Kazuma could see this. _

Her thoughts went back to the moment in the old armory, back to the strange occurrence when Rin saw Kazuma come from the shadows. _It doesn't make sense_, Rin mulled it over, _it has to be all in my head._

For some reason Rin felt like if she got back to her time, then all of the impossible shit would stop. No more traveling into the past, or waking up in mystical castles, specifically, no more _demons_… and that was exactly what Rin wanted. Her mind couldn't withstand the reality she with living through and clearly seeing her dead fiancé was proof of that. Rin took it as a sign, she had to get the hell out of this era. _IF it's possible_! A frustrated sigh pressed through her nose as she recalled she couldn't go back through the well once before. _Why_? She wondered continuously, knowing she accomplished it the first time through.

Jaken was quiet as he watched Rin in the corner of his eye. During the whole trip towards Inuyasha forest, she hadn't said a word. If anything, she looked distracted with her thoughts, subtly sighing and groaning to herself.

A half an hour passed until A-un began the descent. Rin could feel the decrease in height as the dragon demon drifted downwards, eventually landing softer than she expected on the grass. All around them were tall, flush trees with big leaves drifting with the breeze. Shadows shifted, flickering moonlight across their faces.

Rin jumped down from A-un and turned around, looking past the trees to see a small, well-known clearing ahead. "The well!" Rin began to race for it, without giving Jaken or A-un another thought. Suddenly she slowed down and stopped. Turning around, Rin gave the demons a friendly smile, knowing they helped her without their lord's true permission.

"Thanks!" Rin waved, but Jaken only huffed and looked away while A-un eyed her curiously.

A-un took off into the starry sky as Rin faced the well yet again. Anxiously she sprinted, reaching the well until the palms of her hands traced along its' wooden wall. Quickly she got up on the edge, goose-bumps covering her arms as she glanced down to the bottom, seeing nothing except darkness. Her grasp on the ledge twitched hopefully as she leaned forward, her body now anchored to fall. _This has to work_, she told herself, yet still unsure. Closing her eyes, Rin let go. However, she didn't fall forward but into someone's grasp. Her eyes snapped open from the realization.

Face to face with a pair of red eyes, Rin let out a blood-chilling scream. "No!"

The demon Sesshomaru had some strange green ooze dripping from his claws as he clutched her by the shoulders. Partially burning through straps of Rin's tank, his touch sizzled into her skin. Rin cried out as she saw he stood in the center of the well with both his legs perched on either side, managing to block her way. _If only I could get down the well_, Rin tried to rip her shoulders from his grasp, but he was far too strong.

Sesshomaru picked Rin up, throwing her roughly from the edge of the well onto the ground. The impact forced the wind from her chest, taking a second before she got up on her knees and went in effort to stand.

Jumping from the well, Sesshomaru landed a foot in front of her, causing Rin to fall back on her butt. "I can explain…" she crawled back from him, stuttering as her heart raced. "I—"

The demon lord narrowed his eyes and swept down to take her by the neck. Rin squealed as he lifted her up and breathed in her face, "silence." His growling voice ripped through her like a knife as his grip tightened, now choking with deadly intent.

Her hands pried at his grasp, struggling for air. "Lord Sesshomaru" was the only thing Rin could breath out as her face grew blue from lack of oxygen. Her fading brown eyes looked into Sesshomaru's, filled with deep red. Rin looked past her fear, seeing now this had to be the end. _I'm going to die this night_, Rin felt tears go down her cheeks, _but then I'll be with Kazuma. _

Sesshomaru wanted to snap her neck. _No_, he wanted to completely tear her apart. The second he woke up from some unknown slumber he was put under, he could've roared with fury. Immediately he had caught her scent leading from the castle, _foolish woman_. His inner yokai wanted revenge for such a low blow to his pride.

_I'll kill her this time_, Sesshomaru glared at Rin as he choked her. But then, the human girl looked at him differently, in such a way Sesshomaru was sent back in time, recalling the Rin he once knew. _Her eyes,_ he looked into them, _they're the same, merely before her moment of death_.

Rin's fingers no longer scratched at his grip as she began to lose consciousness. As the life in her eyes began to fade, a familiar, faint violet light spread across her skin.

The light pierced at him, causing Sesshomaru to immediately let go, dropping her body to the ground in a heap. His eyes reverted back to their normal golden state, as he glanced at the blackening bruise around her delicate throat. Soon she was heavily coughing, getting on hands and knees, taking deep breaths.

Rubbing her throat, Rin couldn't believe the light protected her again. _How is this happening, how am I doing this?_ She peeked up at him. Sesshomaru was standing as still as a statue, his face like porcelain itself, he held no expression. "No sword this time?" Rin's words were raspy and quiet, but someone like Sesshomaru could hear it easily. "I would've preferred that." She was sarcastic even in this situation… _the light has to be giving me courage_, Rin assumed.

Sesshomaru deepened his glare, "your life is nothing" before turning away from her face.

Walking away, his long silver hair swayed across his back as she remained on the ground, beaten and bruised. Rin wasn't sure if she truly heard him right. _Nothing_?! She felt anger rise at his words, boiling her blood, "then so is yours." Her eyes went back to Sesshomaru who paused at what she said.

Swiftly glancing over his shoulder, Sesshomaru's face grew dark. _Regardless of spiritual power, she's still as frail as any other human… _he raised an eyebrow.

"You heard me." Rin used her hand to stand up with wobbling legs. She took a step to the well as her voice grew stronger, "I said your nothing. If anything, you're less than me… a mindless demon who preys upon the weak. Makes me wonder, are demons _even_ capable of thought? I'd like to know before I leave this awful place."

As soon as her words filled with attitude became silent in the dark night, Rin deeply regretted it. Her eyes nervously glanced back to the well, before looking at an unreadable Sesshomaru. _I can't hold my mouth, can I?_ She was furious with herself as her hand uneasily touched the edge of the well like before. Rin saw the violet light still shining from her skin.

One second, Sesshomaru appeared to be several feet away, quiet and calm, until Rin felt him flash from her view. As if someone screamed for her to move, Rin leapt out of the way of Sesshomaru's whip on instinct. Landing on her stomach, she dodged the weapon dripping with the same green ooze his claws did. Rin saw the bubbling drops burn into the ground like acid, leaving little brown marks of dead grass.

Rin got up so her back rested against the well. She had forgotten the mysterious violet light was still protecting her and smirked. "Apparently, I'm right."

Sesshomaru flashed his sharp white fangs at her. He was about to use the whip again, Rin saw as his fingers motioned towards her. Before he had the chance to slice again, the violet light concealing her skin flashed. The green whip crackled against the light, protecting Rin from the impact.

Each time the light deflected his move, Sesshomaru saw her face flicker to amusement rather than fear. The demon loudly howled in annoyance, his eyes turning crimson like before. "This Sesshomaru will not fall to a human a second time!" He voice bellowed as he reached for her with his claws.

_Not good_, Rin tried to compel herself to move away from Sesshomaru, but was too late. At the touch of one claw on her arm, the violet light spread to him and his face grew pissed off. _Maybe I should tell him I'm not sure how this glowing-thing works_… Rin glanced at the demon who was being consumed with the light. Sesshomaru's eyes watched his hands in dismay until eventually, he was completely covered.

_What is this?_ Sesshomaru felt his body weaken at the sensation of the light concealing around his skin. The human girl looked just as perplexed as before when she did it, however that wouldn't fool him. He tried to grab her again, but the light bit him harder than steel, causing him to growl as he ceased. His yokai raged in pain from the punishment.

"You'll die for this!" He promised, bringing his face an inch from Rin's, eyes blood red.

Rin rolled her eyes when she finally saw his efforts in killing her were futile. "Not my fault…" She let out a long sigh before glancing at the furious demon only a breath away. "But maybe you could BACK off, and maybe it'll stop?" The magenta markings along his face distracted her until he did as she asked.

After he stepped back, Rin watched as the demon touched the hilt of a blade on his hip in thought.

"Don't even try." Rin stood up and crossed her arms at him. "You know what'll happen."

_Where did this bravery come from all the sudden?_ She smiled to herself, suddenly aware she was protected from this demon's wrath. Laughter wanted to escape her, but something told her that wasn't a good idea…

Sesshomaru fully clutched the hilt now, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Wow," Rin pretended to pout as she leaned on the well, "you look pretty angry, _not_ that I know anything besides your cold look." _Maybe I should stop harassing him before this light gives out on me_, she rubbed her glowing arms.

_You_ _deceived me, wench,_ Sesshomaru wanted to snarl at her, but knew this pathetic human would probably mock him. "Hn." He lifted his sharp chin.

"Fine." Rin spun around so her back was to him, her sight looking into the well. "Guess that's my cue." She whispered to herself, looking at her feet dangling in the darkness of the well.

The demon lord stayed where he was, watching the strange human girl he thought he knew. This was the first time he felt powerless… the first time he was unsure what to do. He glared down at the light still prickling his skin. _She has powerful spiritual energy, I can barely even touch her, _Sesshomaru hesitated with the thought, deciding to wait and see what she'd do. His eyes flicked to her back as he watched her sit there, peering into the well. The light around her began to brighten, though she didn't seem to notice.

Rin felt her heart began to pound and her stomach was in knots. _If this doesn't work, does it mean I can't return?_ She pondered as she began to shift herself forward. _I have to try_, were the words she told herself.

Completely dismissing Sesshomaru staring behind her, Rin jumped, allowing herself to fall into the well. Meanwhile, the violet light around both Rin and Sesshomaru suddenly released a blinding flash. Rin's eyes squeezed shut, hands covering her face to avoid the illumination.

Sesshomaru was only a few feet from the well felt as he felt a force in his chest the same time Rin jumped. His hand unconsciously clawed at the area, as he felt a pain he never experienced before. When the light finally dissipated, he could no longer smell Rin. _How could she just vanish? _Sesshomaru was crossed, not sure why he still felt the ache in his chest.

Sesshomaru kneeled on his knee with his hand still on his heart. _It won't stop! _He realized and began to growl. Someone of his strength shouldn't be so overcome_, that bitch_, _did she release her spiritual energy into me_…? He felt like something was digging a hole in his chest. With each pound it continued to grow worse until finally the light from before came back, flashing bright against the night sky, forcing Sesshomaru to look away from the well.

_Her scent_, he realized instantly, _it's back? _But more importantly, the pain in his chest ceased. Sesshomaru was able to stand now, briskly walking up to the well in two steps. He looked down to see Rin crying at the bottom. His eyes narrowed at her sobbing form, now soiled with ashes and dirt. The light protecting her from him was gone, _she's now free to kill_, he thought, feeling a grin twitch at the corner of his lips.

"I'll never get home!" She dug her nails into her hair before crying out again, completely uncaring Sesshomaru could still be nearby.

Sesshomaru didn't like it when women cried… it was only a sign of weakness. Without thinking too much about it, he leapt down the well, but what he didn't expect was for the light to come back a third time! His eyes widened in surprise as soon as his feet touched the bottom, the light immediately surrounding Rin and himself.

Rin almost let out a scream when Sesshomaru leapt down the well, almost landing on top of her. However, she soon realized the same thing he did. _The fuck!_? Her mind was racing as they were both being engulfed by the light, _no way! _The light began to flood throughout the entire well, shooting far into the sky. _Does Sesshomaru have any idea this well was capable of time travel?!_ Rin wanted to scream a warning, but everything around them faded, too fast for her to speak.

Nothing could stop the well as the world around Sesshomaru and Rin spun into a vortex of stars. Vanishing from the past, their bodies were transported. It appeared as though they shot into space, too fast and powerful to resist. Reappearing, Sesshomaru and an unsteady Rin found themselves still at the bottom of the well. but something was different. Looking up, Rin saw no moonlight above them and felt like the darkness was familiar, as if it they were under a shrine….

_Shit_, Rin thought as her eyes never left Sesshomaru's.


	9. Chapter 8

I don't own Inuyasha. Thanks for the follows and reviews. Just so you all know, I aim to answer all questions eventually in the story. Enjoy! The next chapter should be up soon.

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><p>Chapter Eight: Rin's Living Nightmare<p>

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><p>As soon as they appeared in the faint darkness no words were exchanged between Rin and Sesshomaru. Standing up to place herself as far from him as possible, Rin's mind raced as she felt her back brush up against the well wall, <em>he has no idea we're in the future now.<em>

Sesshomaru was hardly a foot away, a golden glare of uncertainty fixed upon Rin, while she scrambled away in panic. It made him curious so, he simply asked her. "What did you do?"

Rin's breathing deepened when she discovered herself in a situation far worse than before. _I can't catch a break_, she bit her lip, accidently tasting a little blood, _there's no way he'll believe me_. "It was the well or something."

Arching an eyebrow, Sesshomaru smelled the blood on her lip. His revengeful yokai wished to choke her again, "explain."

Unknowing to Rin before him, Sesshomaru was fully aware the Bone Eater's well had once been capable of traveling through time. _Inuyasha's human went through it because of the jewel_, he remembered clearly. But, Sesshomaru didn't expect this bitch to be like Kagome, and from the same place. _She brought me along in the process_? He estimated, not ready to believe it just yet.

Rin narrowed her eyes as Sesshomaru's fingers felt for his sword. _Why doesn't he understand? _"I've no clue how this time travel shit works! Makes no sense to me." Her thoughts eventually became her words.

As if Rin had tried to slap his face, Sesshomaru's eyes slightly widened at her words, beginning to leak red. "It was you who brought me here." He sneered, a low rumble coming from his throat.

An unsure gasp came from her when she heard his growl so closely. Rin's back pressed harder against the moldy wall. "Didn't you hear?" Her tone snapped at him, though she felt terrified. "I'm not doing this, it's not my fault if you're stuck here! You jumped down the well, I didn't force you!"

Sesshomaru suddenly used his demon speed to leap clear out of the well. Rin unconsciously jumped at the sound of the brash, quick movement, not expecting him to do something like that. Rin walked to the center of the well, looking up to see and hear nothing.

She paused; _did he just leave me here?_ Rin felt annoyed at first, but then realized this was exactly what she desired. Immediately using all her strength, Rin began to climb the cobblestone wall surrounding her.

Nearing the top, she hesitated as a sense of doubt threaded through her veins. _There's no way I could be so lucky… _the distracting thought made her sneaker slip from one of the round stones. Rin glanced down to find her footing before sore hands reached the wooden rim of the well. Using what little energy she had left, Rin pulled her body up. Glancing over the top, she saw the door to the shrine was open and the room empty, _guess the asshole left… unless I was imagining everything, tripping like a lunatic the whole time._

In sync with Rin's thoughts were a variety of dark emotions, but she fought back the urge to feel sorry for herself. Clambering over the edge of the well, Rin clumsily ran outside. After the crisp night air hit her face, she looked up to see the faint, dim stars above and the city lights in the distance.

Falling to her knees, Rin's fingers pulled at the grass, _am I home, am I really?_ Turmoil of doubt whirled within her as the crickets sung in the bushes.

Looking down at her palms, then to bruised arms and burned shoulders, a shock went through Rin's body. _Could Sesshomaru could still be here_, she felt lost in her own thoughts, almost forgetting a second the demon supposedly came back with her. _But did it all really happen?_ Rin second-guessed; _can a demon even exist in this time?_ She scanned the grassy clearing around her and the still house up the hill from the shrine. All the sudden Rin felt herself laughing, shaking her head at the uneasiness she felt.

Walking past the shrine, Rin made her way to the neighbor's yard where she saw Hana's unlit home ahead. After losing her backpack somewhere, containing both her phone and money, there was little else Rin could think to do.

Taking in a deep breath, she walked under the shadows of the trees. Following a mossy stone path leading to three wooden steps, creaking under her weight. Rin was soon in front of the door, quickly knocking, hoping someone was still up. She was surprised to see a light flicker on inside before someone came to unlock the door.

"One moment," a deep voice grumbled from the other side until Rin was face to face with Hana's old man. "Rin?!" Mr. Sato's voice was in shock as his jaw dropped faster than Rin could say "hello," his greying mustache fluffing up from the sound.

_Huh, have I truly been gone this whole time? _Rin gave the big old man an unsure look. "Yeah… I was just wondering if Hana's home?"

The old man seemed like he was staring at a ghost until Rin asked, "Mr. Sato?"

His name coming from Rin seemed to snap the older man from his trace. "Everyone thought you were abducted or something." Taking her gently by the arm, he led Rin in the house, closing the door. As soon as she was under the warm light, Mr. Sato saw the injuries on her, "_Rin!"_ Wrinkles appeared on his forehead in worry. "Did someone do this to you?"

Rin instantly covered the burn marks on her shoulders. "Oh! No, no! No one did. I just had a bit of a… fall," she laughed nervously, "I really need to talk to Hana, if that's alright?"

Mr. Sato clearly didn't believe her, but he felt like it was out of his hands. _She's a grown girl now_, he sighed at Rin, _and I'm not her father… Takeshi is_. "She should be in her room, sleeping."

"Thanks," she took off her sneakers.

Mr. Sato kept his curious eyes on Rin, tracking her every move until she briskly skipped up the steps and down the hall.

_Mr. Sato doesn't believe me, but he's glad I'm okay_, Rin noticed. _He's probably going to call my parents now_, Rin glared inwardly as she approached a peach colored door with a old fashioned knob. Knocking only slightly before turning it, Rin went into Hana's room, stopping dead in her tracks at what she saw.

"Opps." Rin turned around immediately, "I'm sorry." _I think I just walked in on someone having sex…_ she gulped.

Peering over her shoulder, Rin saw Hana push a man's naked body off of her, causing him to fall on the floor. She covered herself with the covers, "I thought I told you to lock it?" Hana whispered harshly at him before looking at the doorway, her face flicking to horror. "RIN?"

_She has the same response_? Rin noticed as Hana wrapped herself up, standing to gather up a pile of clothes, throwing them at the guy. "Sorry, I'll call you, Shiro."

"I'll be outside." Rin quickly left and closed the door before the man's shocked face could say anything.

A second passed when the door opened back up and Shiro walked through, his jacket swung on his shoulder. He gave Rin a strange look before going down the steps.

"Rin, where have you been?" She felt Hana hug her from behind. "Wait, yuck, what _are_ you covered in?" The girl let go of Rin and looked at her now dirty pajamas.

Rin laughed as she turned around to see the smudges of dirt on her friend, "Who was that guy?"

"I met him two months ago at work." Hana grinned and Rin followed her into the bright, overly pink bedroom.

A line of collectable bears rested along the window bench Rin plopped on, lifting her legs up and leaning back. "Really?" She shot her the same grin, "who knew you were so naughty, Hana? Could've fooled me…" They giggled like old times. _It's nice to be back_, Rin smiled inside, glad to be literally be out of the past, _maybe what happened did help distract me_.

"I'm so happy you're alright, Rin." Hana's lips shook with sadness, "your mother was a wreck… does she know you're alright?"

"Not yet." Rin looked down at the large bruise on her thigh, then back to her friend. "I'll call her tomorrow."

Hana delicately crossed her arms as she sat on the frilly bed, "so you come to my house all beaten up at three a.m. and you're not going to tell me what happened? I thought I was one of your best friends."

Rin's eyebrow arched as she smiled, "you are, Hana. It's just…" her eyes trailed back to her bruised leg, "complicated. _Impossible_ to explain."

As if a flashing light bulb appeared above Hana's head, "don't tell me, you have another man already?"

"No!" Rin's held her hands up dismissively. "Of course not, that's absurd."

"Then what else could it be?" Hana now stood with her hands on her hips, "I'm going to call Eri." She whipped around, snatching a phone from the bed stand covered in stenciled roses.

"Hana!" Rin darted at Hana, trying to grab the phone from her friend's hands.

Hana managed to dodge Rin's snappy fingers before she jumped on the bed. Hana stood on it, holding the phone high in the air, "tell me, because you know she'll get it out of you if I can't." Hana deepened her voice at the last part to emphasize the threat.

Rin rolled her eyes at Hana, "yeah, yeah," and sat down on the bed next to her friend still holding up the phone. Hana looked down at Rin, appearing as if she expected her to talk—now, or else.

"I'm going to tell you… and you won't believe me." Rin said, crossing her legs. _Hana will tell everyone and then I'll be sent to a mental hospital right into a straight jacket_, her thoughts raced, _I have to lie or I have to show her_… "The well inside your neighbor's shrine took me into the past. That's where I've been this last week."

Hana collapsed on the bed, looking at Rin before breaking down in hysterical laughter. "That's funny, Rin." Her friend continued to laugh, gasping for air, holding her stomach.

Rin inwardly sighed… _at least she took positively_… _maybe I can salvage this and my sanity_. Rin allowed herself to laugh along with Hana, "You know… you're right, it's a guy."

"I KNEW IT!" Hana screamed excitedly, grabbing Rin's shoulders. The touch caused Rin to slightly wince in pain. "Tell me what went down, tell me everything! I'm so glad you found someone else!"

A shiver went down Rin's spine as she heard Hana's words. _Kazuma_… A creeping sadness fought to take her over.

"Is he handsome?" Hana pondered innocently. "I bet he is! And dangerous too… the bad-boy type?"

Rin snorted, "Sure Hana, whatever you say…." _At least I'm back in this era_, she thought. "Can you give me a ride home?"

Hana's face grew sour, "you should stay here." Her cold fingers touched Rin's arm with comfort, "get your head on straight. There's no use going to an empty house all by yourself."

_Doesn't Hana notice her words hurt sometimes?_ Rin wished there was someone who knew how she felt. "No," Rin patted Hana's hand with assurance before standing up. "It's fine. I miss my bed and poor Ringo, my mom has probably been taking care of him."

Rin had forgotten about her inherited cat once belonging to Kazuma. The slinky thing liked to hunt and run around outside, but every now and then Rin would see the lean black cat sleeping on a sunlight filled windowsill. She would only need to leave some cheap dry food and water out for the independent creature.

Hana dramatically rolled her eyes, "Tomorrow is Friday. I don't believe you'll be cuddling with a cat." She wrinkled her nose and suddenly started winking at Rin, "you can tell me the truth. You're going to see your hot stuff. I can take a hint, let's get you home."

Those were the words Rin wanted to hear the entire time, "Thanks Hana. You're my savior." She could give a shit about what her friend assumed at this point. Hana walked over to her dresser and put on jeans before they left the room.

"Let me grab the keys." Hana said at the bottom of the steps, going left.

Rin followed her into the kitchen stuck in the sixties, _very_ teal and compact. Hana snagged the large bundle of colorful keys hanging from a hook. Quietly they went back to put on their shoes and headed out the front door. Past the overgrown garden on the side of the house was a gravel driveway, where a big, boxy yellow truck rested. They both got in and closed the doors.

"Good thing it's a quick drive." Hana shifted her butt in the hard seat as she placed the keys in the ignition. A small rumble went through the cold truck as she expertly shifted the manual gear.

Before Rin knew it, they were already on the highway going south. In less than five minutes they would exit and she would finally be home at last. A smile calmly lifted Rin's lips as her head relaxed against the poorly shaped plastic headrest. Her tired eyes drifted with the streetlights as they flew by. Blinking, she found herself getting dizzy.

Hana's yellow truck eventually rolled down a wide dirt road and into Rin's driveway. A two-story house with caramel colored wood, dark slate shingles, and big windows appeared, causing Rin to perk up. As soon as they stopped in front of the square steps leading up the double front door, Rin turned back to Hana.

"Thanks again." Rin hugged her friend, "you're the best, Hana."

When they separated, Hana gave Rin an impatient look. "You better call to give me details. No more running off without telling anyone."

"_Such a mom_." Rin laughed as she got out and walked up to her door.

Glancing back, Rin waved at Hana's retreating truck before lifting up the doormat, right underneath was a shiny silver key. Just incase of incidents like this, Rin always kept a key hidden. Picking it up she opened the door and was instantly devoured by meowing. Rin looked down to see Ringo nuzzling between her legs. _Since when do I exist to you?_ She glanced curiously at the cat while bending down, scratching between his fuzzy ears.

"Hey there, Ringo." Rin's voice was loud against the quiet, dark house. She stood up and closed the door, flicking on the light switch. "I'm home." Her eyes took in the living room before her. The pillows on the brown leather couch were perfectly placed and the coffee table had a cup of old tea on it. _Mom_, Rin knew it was probably hers, _is she here? _Rin wondered and walked into the kitchen.

Turning on the light, the white stone countertops and steel appliances were spotless, cleaned to the bone. A stack of washed rags rested next to the bleached sink. Rin felt sorry as she thought of her mother. _She must have been here, waiting, _she sighed, touching the cold countertop.

After all the lights were off and door locked, Rin made her way up the steps. Walking into a dark bedroom to see no one again, she guessed her mother had already left. Going to the bathroom, Rin flipped the light on, closed the door and turned on the shower. A thick haze filled the room once she stripped, opening the curtain to a steaming waterfall.

The hot water stung the burn marks on her back and shoulders until she steadily grew used to it. Soon a soothing sensation hypnotized Rin into closing her eyes, breathing deep. _I still can't believe I'm back_, she thought as the water washed over skin, _I feel like this is too good to be true. _She used shampoo in her hair and jasmine scented soap to scrub clean. Taking her time, she finally rinsed off and stopped the shower.

Dripping wet, chills went through Rin as she reached her hand through the curtain. She felt for the terry-cloth towel on the nearby rack when she heard something like a loud bang come from downstairs.

_What is that? _Rin thought for a moment until on instinct, she hastened herself, immediately wrapping the thick white towel around her. Her feet stepped over the tub and on the frigid tile, tip toeing to the bathroom door. _It can't be Sesshomaru_… Rin's fingers twitched on the knob before she opened it, walking into the dark bedroom. The house was now dead silent; not even the low humming of the air conditioner was running.

"Hello?" Rin felt herself shiver as she called out. "Who's there?"

With hesitant steps Rin walked to the top of the stairs, but before she could flip on the light, a figure appeared at the bottom. A scream came from her right as the figure hit on the light from the switch at the bottom stair.

"R… Rin?" The figure was just her traumatized mother, Rin realized.

Tears instantly came to the older woman's face before running up the steps to hug her daughter. "Rinnnn!" She cried out, running her hands through Rin's wet hair. "I thought something horrible happened to you, sweetie. Thank God, you're alive! The moment Hana's father called I rushed over as fast as I could."

Rolling her eyes, Rin gently patted her mother. "I'm fine, I've been… out and about."

"For nearly a week?" Her mother's jaw was limp as she looked at Rin skeptically. "With no response to anyone after disappearing on Eri and Hana?"

"I lost my phone." Rin said as if it explained everything. "I was in the wilderness…" that much was kind of true, "got lost when I was in need of some fresh air."

"You could've seriously gotten hurt by yourself." Her mother darkly scolded as she finally let go of Rin, releasing her from the hug. "And just look at you, bruises all over. What in the _world_ happened?" The older woman's mouth was now wide open when she partially noticed Rin's back.

_Good thing I'm wearing a towel and not the tank top still_, Rin thought. "I fell, slipped back when I was… climbing rocks." She made it up as she went along, "I can barely feel it."

Rin's mother had a look on her face, a particular expression giving away the fact she saw her daughter's bullshit. "Rin…" Her eyes were the same color as her daughter's. "I don't appreciate it when you lie to me. I only want to help because I love you dearly."

"Help?" Rin's face twisted up as if she was confused. "With what?" Her mother was now looking at her stranger than ever.

"You're doing better then?" Her mom raised an eyebrow before placing a hand on Rin's shoulder. "_Managing_ with the… stress?"

Rin suddenly understood what her mother meant. "You're asking if I'm over Kazuma." _As if it's easy_… Rin thought, seeing her mother would never truly know how she felt, _I saw his ghost or something only yesterday_.

Her mother patted Rin with a gentle hand. "You look like you're improving, honey."

A small smile came to Rin when she saw her mother's relief. "I think you're right. Are you going to stay?"

"No, I can't…." Her mother said slowly as she glanced the front door behind her. "Your father will want to hear from me soon. I'll stop by tomorrow night, once I tell him how you are. He worries about you."

Rin felt a long sigh press through her nose. "Yeah." _He uses you to check up on me like a little girl._ "I know."

"I need to get going." Rin's mother squeezed her in another tight hug. "It's far too late to be driving around."

"Agreed." Rin watched as her mom went down the steps and to the door. "Be careful, sleep tight! And please, get a new phone." Her mom waved before reluctantly leaving, closing the door behind her. "See you tomorrow, sweetheart."

_Glad that's over with_, Rin sighed the moment her mother was gone.

Still wrapped up in a towel, Rin went back into her bedroom. After getting dressed in a pair of comfortable sweats and t-shirt, she collapsed on the bed. The feeling of the soft cushion underneath and listening to the quiet breeze of the spinning fan above, Rin suddenly recalled how tired she was. _It's been too long_, she thought as her closed eyes in the dark, _this feels amazing. _Pulling the covers over her, Rin turned on her side, snuggling up to the pillow. _Maybe after some sleep everything will be back to normal_, she hoped, drifting in and out of unconsciousness.

Sunlight filled the room by the time Rin woke up, finding herself in a ridiculous position with arms and legs sprawled out. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around before trailing her gaze to the other side of the bed. _Will I see you again, Kazuma? _She wondered as her hand touched the spot he used to sleep.

Getting up, Rin changed into blue jeans and a shirt with sleeves long enough to cover her injuries. She almost felt happy when she walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to see she still had food. Three glasses of orange juice, six scrambled eggs, and a four pieces of bacon later… she finally felt full. When her stomach hit a hard wall, Rin got up to rinse her dishes when she almost stepped on a little black blur.

"Ringo!" Rin scolded as she dodged the cat, going over to the sink with an annoyed expression. As she washed the plate, Ringo began to weave through her legs, crying out meows. "Shut up," Rin groaned at the cat until she was finished washing. "Mom should have left you plenty of food."

But the cat wouldn't stop… he just kept doing as he wanted. Rin felt herself growing irritated and went to pick up the cat. However, Ringo didn't like that. The cat jumped away from Rin, causing her to get angry. _He almost scratched me!_ She saw little shallow claw marks on her arm, right under her sleeve. "What the fuck, you stupid cat!" Her eyes glanced to Ringo who now sat in front of her, giving another deep meow. Rin now stared at the cat in annoyance, "don't scratch people."

Going through the living room to the stairs, Ringo meowed, nuzzling through her legs again. "Stop." Rin tried to get away but he continued followed her. "Leave me alone, damn it!"

With Ringo close behind the second Rin was about to walk into her room she heard the abrupt sound of glass loudly breaking. The noise caused her to jump, sounding as if it had come from downstairs….

"What was that?" Rin flinched, glancing to the now quiet Ringo staring up at her. A comprehension of what was happening came to Rin, faster than she anticipated. _If the cat is right here, then no one else could be in the house,_ her thoughts started to understand until Rin's eyes went side, _could it be… but, there's no way!_

Acting on compulsion, Rin grabbed Ringo and ran into her bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. She snatched a spare car key from her jewelry box on the dresser, and put on whatever slip-on sandals in her closet.

Running to the window with the cat still in her arms, Rin flung it open and began placing her legs over the sill. Struggling to get up with Ringo, Rin suddenly hesitated when she glanced down to see the shingled roof six or seven feet below.

"_Fuck_." She cursed, feeling her stomach swirl nervously.

However, everything began to happen so fast Rin no longer had a chance to doubt. Directly behind her, the bedroom door had been kicked in, flying into her room like a piece of styrofoam. Immediately she took her chance to jump, a scream escaping her lips as she fell to her knees. Pain shot throughout her body and soon, she felt herself starting to slide downwards with more speed than she anticipated. With only a short amount of roof, Rin's legs weren't able stop in time before she tumbled to the ground with Ringo.

A sharp gasp came from Rin after she fell from the roof and onto her butt in the gravel driveway. Ringo meowed in protest as she eagerly stood, realizing she had lost one of her sandals. Feeling there was no time to look for it, rock fragments pinched the sole of her foot as she sprinted to her car. Unlocking the old blue beamer, Rin threw a screeching Ringo inside and got in, her hands fidgeting to lock the door and put the key in.

"_Come on, come on_! You old piece of shit!" Rin growled at herself, shaking with panic. The car's engine roaring to life was music to her ears.

Putting it in reverse, Rin glanced back and punched the gas. However, her face fell to confusion when the car only skidded, going nowhere. A shockwave of frozen terror took over her. Slowly turning her neck to see out the front windshield, Rin screamed when she saw it was indeed her worst nightmare that had come true.


	10. Chapter 9

Thank you for the reviews! Enjoy :)

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><p>Chapter 9: Two-Faced<p>

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><p>Yes, it had turned into her worst nightmare… as a forbiddingly tall and very <em>real<em> Sesshomaru held the bumper of the car with one hand, and an unforgiving expression.

Ringo jumped in the passenger seat, meowing at Rin who kept her eyes on Sesshomaru's cold glare. The drops of blood on the white of his kimono had distracted her._ I don't want to know who that belongs to_, Rin thought, fingers desperately clutching the steering wheel, trying to think of what to do.

Accelerating faster than her eyes could follow, Sesshomaru jumped forward, landing beside the driver's door. Rin squealed as he ripped the door off its' hinges, tossing it to the ground.

Though the car was running and in gear, Rin climbed over the seat to avoid Sesshomaru's claws. A groaning yell pressed through her teeth as she grabbed the cat, opened the door, and threw herself from the rolling car in one motion.

Rin fell to the ground with a huff, turning to see her car rolling down the driveway in reverse. There was nothing Rin could do as her old crashed into a group of trees, totaling the entire back end. _God damn it, Sesshomaru!_ Rin cursed the demon coming towards her. _Will he try to kill me again?_ She wondered, trying her best to get up with the cat as quick as possible.

Glancing back, Rin saw his eyes narrowing at her, turning red. _I'll take that as a yes._

Sprinting back to the house, Rin couldn't think of any other way to escape. As Sesshomaru appeared right in her path, Rin's bare feet couldn't stop in time, forcing her to throw the cat at him. "Fuck!" She fell forward on her knees as Ringo was instinctually caught in Sesshomaru's outstretched hands.

Rin looked up to see Ringo hissing in Sesshomaru's face and her heart pounded, "drop the cat!" She demanded, using her hands to get back on her feet. Growling back at Ringo, Sesshomaru was momentarily ignoring her.

When she finally stood, Rin almost laughed at the stand off. Seeing now the demon lord kind of reminded her of a dog, she couldn't help, but say, "I thought you were a demon, not a dog."

Dropping the cat to the ground like it had some sort of disease, Sesshomaru gave his full attention to the human girl who was too naïve to run.

Rin unconsciously backed away from Sesshomaru, her hands held out in defense. _How the hell did he find me anyway?_ Her mind wondered.

"You," he said as Rin saw his eyes fixed on her, "are coming with me."

"No way am I coming with you!" Rin clenched her teeth at his words. "I already explained I don't know how the well works."

Sesshomaru expressed a scowl as he grabbed Rin's arm, directly on the bruise he gave her yesterday. Rin shouted in pain, looking down and prying at his overly strong grip. "What the hell? I'm telling you the truth!" The sharp claw on his thumb slightly cut her, causing Rin to yell louder. "Let me, GO!"

The moment Rin shouted "go" in Sesshomaru's face, a violet light snapped at him.

Something forced him to release her, instantly causing him to step away, his breath whistling between clenched fangs.

Rubbing her arm and peeking up, Rin's jaw went slack when she saw his state. Her eyes went to his claws, clutching his chest in the area of his heart.

_Is he hurt?_ Rin wondered and suddenly remembered Ringo who nuzzled her leg. Glancing down to the cat, Rin saw two black eyes looking up at her with interest before she peered back up at Sesshomaru. His eyes were still upon her as they changed back to pure gold.

"Take me back." He ordered her, his hand still on his chest.

Rin's hands went down for the cat as her stare remained on Sesshomaru. Cautiously stepping around the demon in the direction of her house, she began to back away, ready to run. "I don't think so! Find a way on your own—_I did_."

"You _used_ this Sesshomaru!" He went to grab her again, but Rin sped off, sprinting to the front door.

Adrenaline rushed through Rin as she barely managed to get inside before Sesshomaru appeared behind her. Without a second thought she slammed the front door, managing to block his claws as it shut. Pressing her back against the only thing between her and Sesshomaru, Rin could feel her heart pounding.

A deep snarl came from the other side, making Rin drop Ringo and race towards the steps. The second she made it to the top, the front entry exploded inward, shattering into large pieces. Rin couldn't help the scream escaping her lips as she ran into the bedroom, shutting the door in the process.

Sesshomaru had sped through the house with inhuman force, his impatience increasing with each second. Rin's door stood no chance as he kicked it in, clear off the wall. Vaulting forward, he appeared before Rin who tried to run to the window.

To avoid him Rin immediately halted, slightly slipping on the wood floor as she scrambled to get up. Turning around, Rin went to leap over the bed so she could quickly maneuver towards the door.

Sesshomaru felt himself growing agitated, _I'm tired of this weak excuse for a woman_, he thought. Before Rin could effectively roll across the bed, Sesshomaru pulled her by the waist of her jeans. She shrieked as her back landed on the bed, the demon already positioned above her.

A bright red blush spread across Rin's cheeks, "get off of me, you shithead! I'm not taking you back!" She tried to elbow him in the face, but Sesshomaru caught the arm before pinning it.

"Do as your told." Sesshomaru's tone held a threatening force, greater than an oncoming glacier.

Fear reflected in Rin's eyes before she struggled. "I hate you," her fists clenched, "there's no way I'll do it." Rin looked away, her face now resting against the bed. "I can't risk being sucked back with you—fuck! I can't think of anything worse!"

The demon roughly grabbed Rin's chin, his sharp fangs revealed. "That's _your_ problem."

Rin's eyes widened before she tore her chin from his hand. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm _not_ helping you. Tough luck, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru glared at the human who continuously dared to challenge and address him so disrespectfully. But now she had the nerve to do it all in the same speech? _I'll rip her spine out_, his eyes darkened, _the moment after I force her to take me back_.

Rin watched as Sesshomaru got up, but didn't expect him to pull her as well. "HEY!" Rin cried as he threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing, walking out of her room and down the stairs. "Put me down!" Rin was roughly banging her fists against his hard back.

Sesshomaru felt her pathetic attempts, but ignored it as he walked through the damaged front doorway, stoically going outside.

Rin began to practically howl, "You fucking bastard, I said put me down!" Rin threatened the demon lord, "I'm going to kill you, I swear I will! I'm not going back!"

Obviously caring less about Rin's complaints, Sesshomaru's eyes concentrated as a strong rush of wind began to spin around them. Rin shivered at the sudden cold breeze and noticed they were starting to leave the ground. The demon flinched this time as Rin screamed, "OH MY GOD," her legs kicking at him. _What the hell! Are we flying? _

Wrapped under them was the soft fur Sesshomaru usually had upon his shoulder without the pauldron. They ascended so high and swift Rin had to hide her face into Sesshomaru's back. Her body was numb by the time they stopped, landing right in front of the shine. _This can't be possible!_ She wanted to scream, _Where's the violet light thing when I need it now?_

Rin's mind was going crazy as the demon walked up the steps and inside. Anxiety filled her veins when she saw him approaching the well, "NO!" Sesshomaru's arm tightened, securing her on his shoulder. _No, not again!_ Rin's fingers tugged at his kimono in worry. "Please, don't do this, you can't make me go there again!" Rin begged him as she wiggled to get away.

His grip grew harder, pinching her side. "_Wench_…" he growled a warning at her.

Rin looked over her shoulder to see his stone cold face, "Everyone will wonder where I am! I can't go back to all the freaky shit that happens in your time!" _Maybe if I explain to him… _

"_Quiet_." He commanded harshly as he glanced to her. "Speak again and lose your tongue." Just incase her attitude fired back up, his eyes flashed blood red in seriousness.

Rin shivered intensely, quickly turning her head away from his glare. _Dominating bastard, _Rin inwardly hated Sesshomaru, feeling helpless; _I'll haunt you if I die_.

A silence drifted between them when Sesshomaru abruptly jumped. Falling directly into the center of the well. Rin gasped, clutching his shoulder as the violet light appeared. Like the first time, the flood of light began to shoot up into the sky. Though before Sesshomaru's feet touched the bottom and the world began to fade, Rin felt another hold take a firm grip on her arm.

Rin instantly looked up from Sesshomaru's back to see Kazuma's masked face, floating over her. She noticed his gloved hand somehow touched her now. _Is he pulling me away from Sesshomaru?! _Rin had no idea how this was happening.

The demon lord seemed to be unaware of Kazuma due to the violet light brightly overcoming them, though a strange scent filled his nose. Glancing back at Rin, he finally saw the masked figure taking hold of her. " _A demon,"_ Sesshomaru said to himself in disbelief, knowing he should've been able to smell the opponent miles away.

"Kazuma, help me!" Sesshomaru heard Rin call at the masked demon. The lower half of his face was concealed, yet she seemed to have no doubt in knowing him. "Please, don't let me go!"

The hand around Rin's wrist tightened, "I'll never." Kazuma's eyes grew stern as he took something silver from his cape.

_The goblet from Sesshomaru's armory?!_ Rin saw the familiar object in his hands, the same time as the demon that held her.

_How could he obtain something in my possession?_ Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed before turning to the demon, unleashing his sword.

"With me, you'll live forever…" Kazuma said to Rin as she felt his grasp reluctantly release her wrist, "soon enough."

Kazuma smoothly disappeared the second Sesshomaru's blade would have gone into his gut. Rin cried out as if she were in pain at the mysterious demon's get away.

_What?_ Rin stared as Kazuma had faded into the darkness, leaving nothing behind, except her. _What could he mean?!_

As if on cue, Sesshomaru's feet touched the bottom and the light around him and Rin erupted, growing brighter as the neither could say, nor do anything. Their bodies dematerialized and the world vanished, feeling as if they were being wrenched through the stars.

Rin squeezed her eyes shut, only capable of praying the well wouldn't work. When the light dissipated, their bodies reappeared. Rin's heart dropped as she looked up, seeing the rays of sunlight pouring down the well, _fuck my life._ Almost forgetting she was still on Sesshomaru's shoulder, Rin pressed her head into his back as the tears dripped from her eyes.

Glancing at the human from the corner of his eye, Sesshomaru dropped Rin to the ground. A yelp came from her as she landed on her butt in the dirt and ash. Though there were tears in her eyes, she looked up at him with pure hatred.

"Go away!" She shouted at Sesshomaru. "You're back in your time now so fucking leave me alone!"

Sneering, Sesshomaru bent down, roughly grabbing her by the shoulders. When his claws began to seep into her skin, Rin screamed from the pain as she could only watch in fear as drops of green goo threatened to burn into her.

"No one," Sesshomaru growled in fury, "speaks to me that way and lives." _Snap her neck_, he heard his yokai rage, _unleash all of her blood._

"Rin…? _Sesshomaru_?"

Both Sesshomaru and Rin looked up to see Inuyasha's face above the well.

"INUYASHA!" Rin went to stand, but Sesshomaru held her down. "Help me!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha glanced at her in confusion before glaring down at his half-brother, "_hey_ asshole, what are you trying to do to Rin?"

Looking up, Sesshomaru growled back at Inuyasha as Rin screamed, "He's going to kill me—"

Sesshomaru suddenly snatched her neck, slightly suffocating Rin to cease her talking. "You think, a filthy _hanyou_ can protect you from this Sesshomaru?"

"Huh… hanyou?" Rin's fingers clenched his hold on her in desperation. "I'll take whatever I can to get away from you."

The demon holding her throat had a firm urge to end it all, here and now. Sesshomaru was never the patient type and this human girl had stretched him far enough. _If I try to truly kill her… will she use her spiritual powers again? _Sesshomaru remembered the distinct pain he had felt, and hesitated for the first time in his long existence.

Inuyasha called down at them, gathering their attention yet again. "Let her go, Sesshomaru! Don't make me come down there…."

An amused sneer came from Sesshomaru's lips as he listened to Inuyasha, but his eyes remained on Rin. "_Now_," he told her, "you'll see nothing can protect you from this Sesshomaru."

Rin's eyes were wide with terror as he hoisted her on his shoulder for a second time. "FUCK NO!" She piercingly screamed, battering her fists into Sesshomaru's back with all her strength. "INUYASHA!"

Using his demon capabilities, Sesshomaru shot clear out of the well. Landing right before Inuyasha who instantly unleashed his sword, growing five times the size as it was in its' old sheath, Sesshomaru stood his ground.

Rin continued to scream curses and beat into Sesshomaru as he glared down his half-brother.

"You're wasting my time, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha pointed his blade at him, standing several feet away. "Let Rin go." _Kagome will never forgive me if I let this bastard kill Rin, _Inuyasha thought, _even if it's not truly Rin…_

"_This_ is not your concern." Sesshomaru took out his own sword, making Rin extremely nervous.

Inuyasha let out an excited laugh, "Come on! Come at me! Give it all you got, Sesshomaru."

"Let me go!" Rin went to kick Sesshomaru's stomach, but he didn't appear as if he felt it. His eyes were sternly on Inuyasha and nothing else.

Before Rin could yell at him again, she was thrown to the ground like a rag doll. A hiss sounded through her lips as she rubbed the bruised leg she landed on. When she looked up she realized both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had disappeared.

"Huh?" She glanced around the small grassy clearing until her eyes settled on the vast forest around her. "Where did they go?"

Inuyasha anticipated as Sesshomaru sprinted forward, crashing into him in a clang of swords. The force shot them both back from one another, taking their fight deep into the forest. _I'll lead him away from Rin_, Inuyasha thought, as he followed and parried Sesshomaru's every move.

Back at the Bone Eater's well, Rin was still on the ground when she realized her situation changed. _Now's my time to get away_, she noticed, glancing back to the well, _but will it work?_

The sound of Inuyasha screaming echoed through the forest, causing Rin to jump to her feet in worry. _I'm lucky Inuyasha was there,_ Rin wondered, a small smile coming to her lips until it faded quickly, _Sesshomaru won't stop until he murders me. _"And for no reason!" Rin spoke to herself angrily as she went back to the well.

Looking down, Rin saw the bottom and deeply sighed. Getting up on the ledge, she suddenly noticed something glittering in the soil below, reflecting in the bright sun.

"What is that?" Rin anchored herself so she was now leaning into the well. _That wasn't there before_, she knew.

Out of nowhere an unseen force shoved her forward, causing her to fall into the well with a shriek. Rin's hands protected her head as she landed at the bottom, the impact knocking the wind from her chest.

"Shit." She cursed, still laying on her back and staring up at the blue sky. "OF COURSE, _it didn't fucking work_!"

Rin gave a groan of frustration came as she got to her hands and knees. Crawling to the shiny metallic object she saw, Rin dug up the dirt and ash covering it. However, her hands froze when she saw exactly what it was.

Picking up the silver goblet, Rin rubbed the cup until it was clean and radiant once again. _Kazuma had this_, she remembered, _but I don't remember him dropping it, nor do I remember it being here before…_

A creeping paranoia washed over Rin. Her neck twisted to look around her and like before, Kazuma began to grow from the shadows. Soon his face was well before her as he dropped his hood and mask. His long black hair reached his elbows, Rin noticed, as she thought, _he never wore it in such a way before._

"Sooner than you expected, Rin?"

She glared at him, hands still on the goblet. "Why did you let Sesshomaru take me back? You fucking let me go, Kazuma! I don't know how, but Sesshomaru saw you so you have to be real…."

"Sesshomaru doesn't know," Kazuma stepped closer, almost closing the space between them. "He has no idea what you truly are, but he can sense something in you. You may have had a bond to him once, but that ended long ago. I made sure of that."

"You made sure of what? What bond?" Rin narrowed her eyes. "Are you talking about the little girl, the child he called Rin? He mistook me for her."

"He mistook nothing." Kazuma reached up and delicately caressed her cheek. Rin flinched at first, but recalled this was once her fiancé. "You two have the same scent because in essence you _are_ Rin. Though a reincarnation is never simple."

"Make sense already." She slapped his hand from her cheek. "I'm not some stupid, fucking, little girl! Only in hell would I give a shit about Sesshomaru."

Kazuma grinned, "It's good you hate him." In the small space of the well he paced around her, "it'll only make you stronger, and in return, make me stronger. He probably feels your power over him, even now."

Nothing but confusion appeared on Rin's face when he stopped right behind her. He brought his body close, wrapping his strong arms around Rin's small form. Bringing his mouth to her ear, he whispered, "do you want me to awaken you, Rin?" he nuzzled her neck, "you'll fear nothing when I do."

Rin knew she should be terrified… here she was, talking to her dead fiancé, seeing now he was able to touch her as if he were alive.

"Tell me why this is happening… why am I being sent into the past? The well only worked the second time when Sesshomaru followed me." Rin spoke before Kazuma spun her around, carefully taking the goblet from her hands.

"This." He held up the goblet as his eyes bore into Rin. "And something right _here_," his finger lightly poked her chest. "Brought you to this era. When you touched the chalice, there was probably an increase in your power?"

Rin's face twisted to bewilderment as she glanced at the cup, "I don't know what you mean… what power?"

"As a human, Rin never had spiritual power, even after her death, nothing of the sort proved otherwise." Kazuma touched the rim of the goblet with a gloved finger. "But with my help, you have something far better. A power to do so much more than simply protect you from demons."

"I do?" Rin eyes were wide.

"Yes." He gave her a clever smirk. "See for yourself and drink." He took her hand, turning it upward to place the cup. "Go ahead, don't fear."

Rin raised her eyebrow at him, as she touched the goblet in her hands, "you want me to _pretend_ to drink from some cup that belonged to the dead little girl who looked like me? _Okay_…." She mumbled jokingly and slowly looked in the silver goblet, "Not that this is weird and dangerous, but there's nothing in here."

"You're sure about that?" Kazuma's eyes flicked down at the goblet in her hands. "Drink." He insisted.

Doing as Kazuma asked, Rin went to drink from the cup as if it held some special imaginary liquid. At least until her lips stopped a mere half of an inch above the rim…"I can't." She whispered, looking down at the empty cup. "This doesn't feel right."

"You have to trust me, Rin." Kazuma gently pushed the chalice back up to her face.

_What harm could come from drinking nothing from some old cup? _Rin wondered as she looked down into the goblet.

Slowly the rim touched her lips, Rin flinched at the feel of the cold metal. For a moment she was about to roll her eyes and smack Kazuma for messing with her, until she felt a thick _sweet_ substance pour down her throat, reminding her of honey. Swallowing, Rin immediately dropped the cup and doubled over with some kind of affliction… her chest felt like it was on fire!

"Kazuma!" She hissed as her hands pressed against her chest. "It burns!"

A calm look filled Kazuma's face as he watched the girl. "You're a human absorbing part of Lord Sesshomaru's yokai, it's going to hurt, _a_ _little_."

"Y-yokai?" She stuttered from the pain, taking deep breaths to ease herself.

"His demon, his true form." Kazuma bent down so he was at her eye level. "There was a ritual done on this goblet seven years ago... the day Rin died, Sesshomaru unknowingly sacrificed _anything_ to have her back. And now, there's just you, a woman from the future who despises him. It's sort of funny really."

Another scream came from Rin's lips as the pain increased. She fell to the ground on her back, rolling in agony as a violet light spread across her body. "You tricked me?" Tears strolled down her cheeks from the torture she felt.

"No, Rin." Kazuma gave her a saddened look. "I spoke the truth… you'll live." His hands lifted her up as she shook in pain, "But for now till it's complete, you'll only be safe with me."

Rin continued to shake and cry as Kazuma securely wrapped his cloak around her. _Kazuma_, Rin's trembling hands tightened on him, _what have you done to me?_


	11. Chapter 10

I don't own Inuyasha.

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><p>Chapter 10: Subjugated<p>

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><p>The moment after Rin had placed her lips to the goblet, the fight between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru halted. So similar to Rin's reaction, a burning pain had inflicted Sesshomaru's chest. In the midst of attacking Inuyasha the demon lord was forced to stop, feeling a discomfort far greater than he felt before. Sesshomaru's sword struck the ground as he fell forward to his knee, using the blade as leverage to keep himself up.<p>

Inuyasha on the other hand, didn't know what to do when he saw the invincible Sesshomaru suddenly buckle. "What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha cautiously lowered his blade, rather than continuing his attack.

Sesshomaru clutched his chest, heaving in breaths. "This… _pain_." He spoke to himself, feeling worse with each second. _Something's wrong_, he thought, his eyes going back in the direction of the well. _The first time Rin tried to go through the well without me… I felt this and the second, when I was about to kill her._ But it was different, he knew, much more traumatic this time.

A violet light began to grow, swarming around Sesshomaru as Inuyasha took a careful step up to him. The young hanyou looked as if he had never seen something so impossible.

"Stay back!" Sesshomaru growled at his half-brother, still holding his chest in agony.

_WHAT is this!_ The demon lord felt something gather within him in the pit of his stomach, an electrifying shock tingling his entire body. Clenching his teeth tight, he fought back the urge to yell as the sensation burned him.

"Sesshomaru…." Inuyasha ignored Sesshomaru's warning and came up to him.

Eyes flashing to bright crimson, Sesshomaru began to lose control of his yokai. He could feel his claws growing… his limbs changing to his true form._ I can't stop it! _Sesshomaru thought in fear, seeing now he was in a situation he had never experienced before.

Rin awoke with a loud gasp, _was that a dream?_ She had seen Sesshomaru beginning to change, losing control. Shaking her head, Rin rubbed her eyes open and tried to dismiss it. Looking around her, wherever she was, the room was completely covered in darkness. Rin felt a rough rocking all around her as she sat up in some kind of bed, wearily removing the thick soft cover tucked around her to stand up. Barely making it to her feet, Rin shrieked when a stick or some kind of cane pushed her back down. On instinct, she smacked the pole back, struggling to get up to run.

"_Relax_," Rin heard an older man's voice as the stick no longer held her to the bed. "You're such an anxious girl, but there's no reason to be like that."

"_Who_ are you?" Rin crawled back onto the bed, squinting her eyes to try and see in the darkness. "Where's that _bastard _Kazuma, did he take me somewhere? As if giving me some weird shit wasn't enough!"

Rin realized now, after seeing this occur more than once, these… _beings, demons… whatever_, seemed to have some kind of power over the shadows. The man's cold blue eyes and fair, angular face appeared. Dressed in a black matte kimono, his casually sitting form came into view, as did the red velvet lounge chair he was propped on. Annoyance fumed within Rin when she saw the well-dressed man several feet away, holding an elegant, polished staff in his hands.

The entire room appeared around Rin, just like she had seen Kazuma do once before in Sesshomaru's armory. Her eyes were wide as she looked around, seeing an extravagant bedroom on what looked and felt like a large ship. The bed itself was built upon a two-stair platform, overlooking a circular lower level where a tall and narrow fireplace was crackling. Carved to represent waves crashing onto shore, the stone mantle was more a piece of artwork than furniture. Beside the fireplace were two glass doors stained with red and black diamonds, leading to a small balcony overlooking the choppy ocean. Surrounding the room were long oval windows revealing the early evening outside, consisting of dark grey clouds and a storm of whistling winds.

The older man pushed his waist-long hair over his shoulder as he slyly eyed her. "You already know my name and the matter of where you are… obviously, you're on my master's main ship."

_Why do all men in the past have to be notorious assholes? _Rin looked at him curiously as she got up from the bed to see him closer, _and have such long hair…_

"Your master? The man who must've brought me here." Rin guessed, hazily remembering what happened before she blacked out. "Had black hair… dark eyes… wears a mask like a backstabbing jackass?"

The man arched a thin, white eyebrow. "The _demon_ who brought you here was my master."

"Demon?" Rin said his words in confusion. _Kazuma's a demon?_ She thought, seeing now, _it would explain the odd powers._

"How could you _not_ realize such a thing…." the man remained in his lounging position, covering his eyes with his clawed-hand to appear disappointed. "Humans and demons are so easy to distinguish."

"Tell me who you are." Rin glared, watching to see if he'd make a move. "And where the _conveniently_ missing Kazuma is!"

Grinning, the mysterious white-haired man thumped his staff and Rin felt an electric jolt like lightening come up from the floor, shocking her. With a gasping yelp, Rin jumped back on the bed, giving the man a surprised look.

Rin touched the spot on her foot that had been zapped, feeling a light throbbing. "You jerk!" _It'll hurt every time I walk_, Rin flinched as her fingers touched the welt forming on her heel, _wonderful_. "I'll cut your hair!" She remarked in a snappy tone.

The lounging man loudly sighed at Rin, "My master won't come, busy as he is. I was only instructed to _look_ after you."

Rin's face twisted in greater anger and then, disbelief. "_How predictable._" She held a venomous tone.

"Well, it's _predictable_," he imitated her voice, slowly getting up to walk over to the bed, "because you attract trouble like it's your job." Rin stayed where she was as the lean, tall demon sat on the opposite side, far from her. "And my master has some ends to tie up… before dealing with you." His feline-like eyes narrowed at her. "So try not to bother me and behave until he comes back, got that Rin?"

"You seem to know who I am _pretty damn well_." Rin leaned forward on her hands, giving him a dark look. "Who are you? Other than Kazuma's little _bitch_?"

Rather than showing an ounce of aggression, the attractive man slightly smiled, his thin lips stretching. "My _dear _Rin, can't you tell? I'm Ringo."

Rin felt the blood leave her face. "_Ringo_? The… the…." She couldn't seem to find the words, "_**cat**_?"

Ringo laughed, his head rolling back as he momentarily lost control of his own amusement. When he stopped and looked back at Rin, his smirk showed sharp white fangs. Blinking rapidly, Rin could see black markings spread across his skin, appearing under his eyelids and chin like magic. Rin's eyes glanced up at pointed elf-like ears so similar to Sesshomaru's.

"Yes." Ringo told her with no sign of hesitation as the glamour melted away.

"This isn't possible." Jaw dropping; Rin had said her thoughts out loud. "You're a fucking cat. I fed you cat food!"

Ringo held a calm expression in comparison to Rin's baffled one. "There are _more_ important questions, Rin. Trust me, you don't want to know how I dealt with cat food."

Rin rubbed her temples. _I thought I was crazy before… but this—__**this**__ is ridiculous. _She gave the human-like Ringo a hard look. _I can't believe I'm talking to Kazuma's cat._

"I think something strange is happening to me…" Rin shook her head as she felt a slight burning sensation in her stomach, "I feel like I'm on the verge of exploding." _If only I could slap something_, Rin thought as she stared at Ringo's cheek.

"Don't be so dramatic." Ringo clawed his chin, scratching his white scruff. "Soon you'll be a full blooded demon in less than a month... you're feeling the transformation as you absorb a particularly powerful yokai. Too bad, it's a _dog_."

"Ew gross! I don't want to change into a dog!" Rin became rigid, "I'm not okay with any of this!" Her hands clenched into fists against the bed, "I can't let this shit happen."_ I don't care if it'll kill Sesshomaru, solving my problems in the process…_ Rin took a deep breath, knowing very well she still had another demon to deal with, other than that motherfucker Kazuma.

Ringo glanced at her in surprise, his inhuman blue eyes wide. "I don't understand. Unlike humans, daiyokai nearly have an infinite lifespan." The demon tried to make her understand. "My master is determined to give this to you as a _gift,_"Ringo shrugged, "and I liked the idea."

"You expect me to believe what you say?" Rin rolled her eyes and snorted in doubt. "Kazuma lied to me! He can shove _his_ determination and _his_ gift up _his_ ass. I don't want to be like you awful people, I want to go home, to my time. Kazuma wants to use me against Sesshomaru for some stupid reason. I'm sick of being pushed around."

"My master has his reasons and he chose not to tell you." Ringo didn't falter in his loyalty for Kazuma. "Nothing you say or do will change what must happen. Stop being difficult and face it."

Rin creased her eyebrows, causing little wrinkles to appear on her forehead. "That fucking jerk… he had this all planned out." She felt her nails furiously dig into the skin of her palms. "Using me like a toy to get rid of a demon or whatever the fuck. Yeah, I'll admit Sesshomaru's an asshole… but it's not like I'm alright with killing the bastard to take his yokai—I barely know him." Rin paused a second in thought. "_Actually_ I don't really know Kazuma either, less than even Sesshomaru. Makes it impossible to pick a side…" Rin crossed her arms and looked at Ringo expectantly.

"There's no side to pick, Rin." Ringo scolded her as if she was a child. "You belong to my master and him alone."

An annoyed growl came from Rin's mouth, "oh yeah?" She tightened her lips as she jumped up from the bed, walking over to the glass doors of the balcony.

Ringo began to stand up and follow her, as if he knew very well what Rin intended. "Don't be foolish…" he began to say until Rin placed her hand on the curvy silver handle.

"There's so many ways to be a fool, Ringo. Is this _foolish_?" Rin swung open the door and a rapid gust of wind blew inside. A strike of lightening appeared in the dark clouds masking the sky. Only a second later thunder roared, feeling as if it shook the entire ship along with the white-tipped waves.

"Rin…" Ringo threatened, his staff in an unsteady hand. _I'll be severely punished if she does anything reckless_, he thought. "Stop this now!"

The wind blew Rin's hair across her face, whipping it back and forth as her heart pounded. _I can't become a demon_, her mind raced_; I'd rather die._

"I won't become a demon and I'm not killing anyone!" Rin struggled to speak above the storm. "No one can make me..." her words fell to a whisper so only she could hear, "I'm not a fucking puppet…"

Spinning around, Rin ran out onto the small balcony being taken over by the increasing waves. Slamming the door shut so hard she thought it would break, the waves had already soaked Rin to the bone. Her torso leaning over and arms wrapping around the top of the balcony railing, the rocking of the ship had caused Rin to lose her footing. Strong splashes came at her face in whips as she fought to hold on.

Eyes squinting from the saltwater and arms struggling to hold the railing, Rin looked out to what looked like mountains of white and blue, stretching for miles and miles. _It's beautiful… _Rininwardly said to no one in particular. She wasn't able to look away from the sight, her expression mixed with fear and awe until she heard someone in the back of her mind, calling her name.

_Rin… _the tone was deep and calm, concerned.

_Sesshomaru!_ Rin batted her eyes against the storm, realizing the voice belonged to him. Another freezing splash hit the balcony with great force, causing Rin's shaking hold on the railing to slip. Intensely shivering, she couldn't feel anything as her body was pulled in with the wave, towards the ocean. The coldness had shocked her… limbs numb and voice frozen, Rin felt it impossible to move. _Where is he? _She thought of Sesshomaru,_ why do I hear him? _Rin barely held her breath in time as the ocean crashed over her, _is it because? I drank from the goblet…_

Water had spread and the world felt like ice, too cold to think or move. Her skin and lips were as blue as the depths of the ocean carrying her further and further.

_Where are you? _Rin heard Sesshomaru again. _Why can't I catch your scent_?

Unsure by what she was experiencing, Rin was almost certain this was her death. _I'm dying… at the bottom of the ocean._

Her body spinning with the waves, Rin's eyes opened as she fought to breathe the last moments of air bubbling from her lips. The flaring burn in Rin's chest caused her to cough and choke. With eyes blurring to the point where Rin thought she was hallucinating and about to close them forever…. someone grabbed her. Her gaze shot back open before giving into death, her own hands grasping her throat, fighting to breath again.

_Sesshomaru? _Rin noticed the white hair first until she saw his face. _No, Ringo_, he had been the one who saved her, not Sesshomaru. The demon was already swimming to the surface with impossible speed when Rin had realized she was no longer being tossed through the towering waves.

Breaking the surface, air flooded into Rin's burning lungs. Still in Ringo's hold, he lifted Rin from the water and tightly into his arms. "That," he hissed between clenched fangs as they both shivered, "was more than foolish. I _applaud_ you, Rin. I overestimated your intelligence before, what a fatal mistake."

Rin felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness as Ringo flew from the water and to the top deck of the ship. Saltwater flung across the slippery wood, thrashing with the waves as he carried her inside. She was mumbling nonsense, her head rolling back and forth until they were back in the same room as before.

Lowering Rin to the lounge chair next to the fireplace, Ringo slapped her across the cheek.

"Ah!" Rin awoke with a cough, fingers touching the stinging face. Her voice felt raspy and strained, as she glared. "I almost died and you smack me."

The fire created an eerie red glow throughout the room as the day darkened. Ringo's face looked older than usual from dark light of the room. Getting up, he grabbed the thick soft blanket from the bed before throwing it over her. Rin peeked up at him when she saw him sit at the foot of the lounge, looking into the blazing fire.

"My master will kill me," Ringo explained to her, his hand uncomfortably touching his wet kimono. "If you die."

Rin shivered again as the coldness seemed to go all the way down to her bones. "I don't know what came over me." Just like Ringo, Rin stared into the fire, taking in as much as possible from its' warmth.

"You were just acting stupid… a human flaw called a "death wish," I think." Ringo wrung out his long dripping hair, as his cold words affected Rin more than he thought.

He had surprised her, causing Rin to glance at Ringo defensively. "I wanted to escape!" Rotating away from him, she curled up into the blanket, facing the heat. "I'll have to convince _your_ _master_ to stop this..." Rin's eyes began to grow heavy.

A clever grin appeared at the corner of Ringo's mouth. Being turned from Rin, he knew she couldn't see it. "Good luck with that." As Rin's breathing grew deep and steady, Ringo leaned over, his hand drawing back a piece of fallen hair. Tucking it behind her ear… the grin faded from Ringo's face. _Maybe it'll end as you wish_, he thought of her suicide attempt, his eyes steadily going back to the fire.

Flying at top speed, Sesshomaru felt an uncontrollable shiver go down his spine, spreading throughout his body. _How am I so cold? _His eyes darkened in thought, while at the same time, he was sure he'd heard Rin's words in his mind... an expression of confusion filled his eyes as he landed in front of his great stronghold. _She was dying, drowning… I could feel it._ Sesshomaru immediately ceased his wandering thoughts, enraged with himself for having to think twice about the weak, imposturous human somehow connected to him.

Resisting the mysterious drive to shake from coldness and worry, Sesshomaru walked through the front gateway of his home with an expression set to kill. Several noble yokai bowed their heads to him in respect, scuttling out of the lord's way in fear of his temper and superior power. Paying no attention, Sesshomaru went to the main hall of his home and just as he had left it, the fortress was in perfect working order, as strong and secure as ever.

Heading into the gold foyer where two grand staircases stood, Jaken came running in the room, yelling his name.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" He cried out repeatedly, bowing at the demon lord's feet. "I beg for your forgiveness… I betrayed you without knowing. There's no excuse for my ignorance, believing that awful human and her vile lies! I'll accept any fate you offer me."

_He must be talking about the wench_, Sesshomaru thought of Rin. "We're leaving." He instructed the little toad demon. "Prepare A-un."

Jaken's eyes widened at Sesshomaru before he eagerly nodded. "Yes, of course! Right away, my lord!" He squeaked before running down one of the hallways in a rush.

Sesshomaru briefly closed his eyes, focusing on the ache still residing in his chest and stomach. A deep growl rumbled in his throat when he remembered he had lost control of his yokai, involuntarily changing into his daiyokai. Becoming a colossal, acid-breathing, blood-eyed canine with white fur, in front of puzzled Inuyasha. Sesshomaru would've ripped his brother apart in unknown blinding rage, if he hadn't realized the disappearance of Rin's scent.

When Sesshomaru had gone back to the well, Rin was already missing. Not even her scent was traceable in his daiyokai, as if she had vanished into thin air. From his experience, Sesshomaru knew it had to be someone masking her scent from him. _That, or she went down the well again_. His eyes narrowed in the thought, _No_… _no light had come from the well and for some reason… I hear her somehow_. S_he has to still be here, in this era—someone must've taken her._

By the time Sesshomaru and Jaken left with A-un in tow, it was well past dusk. The last rays of sunlight were already fading as they reached the far outskirts of the forest, quietly walking under the flush trees. Sesshomaru held a stoic expression, his face unflinching as he paced forward. On the outside it appeared as if he wasn't afflicted by anything… that he was still his old, unconquerable self. But no matter how much he tried to ignore it, the ache in his body caused his breath to deepen_, my yokai is weakening. _Regardless of still having great power, Sesshomaru could feel his great demonic strength wavering. _Suspiciously the same time as the human's disappearance…_ _it has to be the bitch's fault_, Sesshomaru quickly blamed Rin, _she did something to me… _He couldn't dismiss the fact every time he was around the girl, a similar occurrence to this had happened.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken was sitting on top of A-un who walked next to Sesshomaru. "Are we not patrolling the western lands?" He asked when he saw they were heading southeast towards the coast.

"No_, _Jaken." Sesshomaru commanded with a cold look. He was tried of all the questions and having been asked another, he felt his patience slipping. The fur around his shoulder began to unravel as the wind picked up around him.

Over the course of the night they flew through the dark sky as Sesshomaru kept his senses on full alert, however, his nose found no trace of Rin. He began to grow restless and finally explained to Jaken what he was up to.

"We must find the human woman who looks like Rin." He told Jaken who almost fell asleep on A-un. "It may be a matter concerning my yokai."

Jaken shrieked at Sesshomaru's words, remembering once before Naraku had tried to absorb his lord's yokai. But the self-made demon who stood as Sesshomaru's enemy didn't succeed and eventually, lost his life confronting both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. _This can't be good_, Jaken realized, _for him to tell me… it's a blow to his pride and strength._

"Your YOKAI?!" Jaken eyes shifted back in forth in worry, "but my lord, who would be able to do such a thing to someone like you? Surely, the human woman has nothing to do with this…."

Sesshomaru remained silent as he looked ahead, _for her sake, you better be right, Jaken. _"A demon held the chalice." He said, remembering the masked figure holding onto Rin. "He spoke directly to the woman. No formality."

Jaken was trying to listen to his lord with a calm ear, for he knew Sesshomaru had to be furious inside. "How…" The toad demon began to speak until he suddenly understood. "Oh…" His eyes widened, "He reincarnated… Rin. And seeks to steal your yokai through her?"

Sesshomaru's jaw tightened as he stared ahead, hate filling his golden eyes. "The demon will die, as will his human _pet_."

"But Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken waved his hands at the tall silver-haired demon. "It could be Rin, couldn't it?"

Sesshomaru seemed to have to tell himself more than his servant, "Rin's gone." 


	12. Chapter 11

Thank you for all the reviews, you guys are wonderful for taking the time! As always, I don't own Inuyasha.

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><p>Chapter 11: Unmasked<p>

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><p>Glancing to Ringo who was across the room, Rin gave him an annoyed look. "You're <em>fucking<em> kidding me, right?"

There was an awkward silence between the two demoness handmaids standing in front Rin, holding up the most expensive kimono they could find. They both had identical jet-black hair, bright turquoise eyes and midnight blue stripes across their cheekbones.

It appeared the one of the left was saddened by Rin's words. "Is it not to your taste, my lady?"

Looking away from Ringo and turning to the demoness, Rin tried to explain. "Umm..."

"Aiko." Ringo interrupted Rin as he stepped up to the bed area. "You both may go now."

The one demoness on the left nodded, immediately pulling the other maid along with her to rush from the room, closing the door softly behind them. Rin watched them go, somewhat regretting they left her alone. _It's not their fault I hate kimonos… _Rin sighed before reluctantly focusing on Ringo.

"I can't wear that." Rin placed her hands on her hips. "I've been through this before and it's not happening."

Ringo shook his head at her, staying silent. His behavior was making Rin anxious because she knew all too well Ringo wasn't the quiet type. From the short amount of time she had known him as a humanoid demon who could talk, it's been obvious he was a chatterbox.

Rin groaned when he gave her an expecting look. "OH, _come on_…" she spoke sarcastically.

"You can't walk around the feudal era in jeans, Rin." Ringo held a superior tone, making her angrier by the second. "You're acting like a child."

"I refuse, I'm not even from the feudal era." Rin spoke seriously as she held the ivory kimono in her hands, tracing a finger over the embroidered gold and pink cherry blossoms. "I don't need _gold _thread and _silk_ to walk around. This is _ridiculous_."

"You stand out looking as you do." The cat demon gracefully sat down at the foot of the bed. "It's for the best, you should start learning how to live in this time."

"You're wrong." Rin let out a loud annoyed growl, surprising Ringo. _Will this ever stop_?! She thought while saying, "I'm not staying here!"

The cat demon watched Rin with an amused expression. "Just do it, Rin." He began to stand up. "It's not like it'll kill you."

"You should shut up, you stupid cat!" Rin snapped at him from her spot on the bed, receiving an unapprovingly look from Ringo. "You're horrible!"

Ringo suddenly grabbed Rin by the collar of her shirt, claws ripping through the cotton fabric. His face inches from hers, "Do it, or I'll change you myself."

Rin went frozen as she stared into Ringo's slit blue eyes, not showing even an ounce of his usual humor. Rin's heart was pounding and a dry gulp of air was stuck in the back of her throat, not allowing her to speak against his words.

"I'm glad you understand then." Ringo threatened before letting her go.

The demon made his way to the door, as Rin remained where she was, her eyes still focused on the spot he just left.

As soon as she heard the sound of the door closing, Rin looked up. Seeing now she was alone, a long sigh pressed through her clenched teeth. She was fuming on the inside, furious with how she was being forced into everything. _As if time with Sesshomaru wasn't bad enough_, Rin thought, knowing there had to be some way to escape. This was the start of her second day on this ship and Rin already felt homesick… _desperately_ homesick.

Falling back against the bed, Rin stared up at the hanging, lantern-like chandelier. Rocking back and forth, the ship caused the light to sway, making her sleepy, eyelids fluttering to near close.

Rin's moment of relaxation ended too fast as the doors swung back open, causing her to jump up with a gasp. She involuntarily glared at the two handmaids she saw from before.

"Forgive our sudden intrusion." One of them said as they bowed their necks.

Glancing at the ivory kimono left on the bed, Rin grumbled in a low voice, "I guess that's what you're here for." And got up from her attempt at a nap._ If only I could pass out and wish myself away from here_, Rin thought bitterly.

Both demoness maids bowed to her a second time, causing Rin to roll her eyes. Despite her attempts to avoid this, they began working immediately. First removing Rin's clothing and beginning with the layers and layers of undergarments. Once they had finished Rin felt like a stuffed turkey. _How is something so silky and soft so fucking constricting_, Rin struggled with the thick, gold obi sash around her waist, but the super long sleeves kept getting in her way. Growing frustrated, Rin finally gave up and plopped down on the large cushion near the dressing table.

When one of the maids turned towards Rin, she held out an intricate silver hand-mirror.

Rin's jaw dropped. "I look like a freaking princess from a history book." She took the mirror to see a bit better. "This is so _absurd_."

Both of the maids looked at one another unsurely as they listened to the young human woman.

"We should style the hair." The one called Aiko said to the other, Misaki who reached down to touch Rin's brunette hair. But the human girl put down the mirror to push the hand away.

Rin realized she had acted rudely, "Err… I'm just not used to this…"

Misaki unsurely glanced at Aiko who slightly smiled and spoke, "Misaki is mute. She's my sister, I apologize if she offended you." Misaki kneeled to the floor so she was at Rin's eyelevel.

"She's mute?" Rin suddenly noticed she hadn't heard the other handmaid talk. "I... I didn't know... but honestly, there's no need to apologize. If anything, I should be sorry."

The sisters looked surprised, though they seemed to know better and brushed it off. Aiko bowed her head slightly to Rin, "of course, my lady…"

During the next hour, Rin tried her best to remain still as they put up her hair. But just as they finished and Rin hoped to take a break, they went to her face. Rin would normally not allow this… she never liked people putting her makeup on, but Ringo's threat cascaded her actions.

When Aiko reached over to grab a box of red paint, Rin eased back. "Can I ask you something?

Aiko held a kind smile as she dipped a thin paint brush in the paint, "Ask me anything, I'm at your disposal."

Rin's lips twitched as they were painted. "I was wondering if you know when I'll see Kazuma."

The question had caught Aiko off guard. Rin couldn't miss the strange telepathic thoughts she seemed to be giving her sister Misaki. There was an uncertain look on Aiko's face when she repeated the name, "Kazuma?"

"Yeah, I think he's Ringo's master." Rin gave her a 'duh' look.

Aiko looked as if she was about to cry. "I don't understand, my lady."

"Forget it." Rin sighed, closing her eyes with the annoying lack of answers she received. "I'm sorry, just pretend like I never asked."

Being amongst these two maids would've been more comfortable if Rin didn't feel like so much was being withheld from her. _I'm being held here against my will_, Rin realized, _and no one gives a shit._ Rin suddenly felt an eager need to be around her two best friends back home. Rin missed Hana and Eri beyond belief… hell, she even missed her parents, which reminded her—_they're probably freaking out because I disappeared again._

"Finished!' Aiko flashed her fangs in a smile when the last line of charcoal was done. For the second time, Misaki handed Rin the mirror.

Rin took it and groaned when she saw her reflection. Her face was powdered nearly all white with a hint of blush, a nice contrast with her dark hair, but what the heck was with the high black eyebrows and overly winged out eyeliner? _I definitely feel like an overdone princess now._ Rin snorted and tossed the mirror on the table with the makeup. _God help me._

Aiko and Misaki stood up after closing all the containers and boxes and were set to leave. Rin bit her painted lips as she watched them go, an uneasy feeling bubbling in her stomach. _Why didn't Aiko know Kazuma's name_… Rin wondered.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes at the voice continuing to plague his mind. Of course he knew it was the wench who impersonated Rin, but no matter how hard he tried, there was no silencing it. All he could do was keep his own thoughts to a minimum.

The demon's eyes opened slightly as he continued to walk through the forest, slits of gold peering around the shadowy trees.

"Welcome, Sesshomaru…" an ancient voice echoed through the forest.

The sudden sound caused Jaken to squeak in alertness from his position on A-un. He recalled the first time he had heard it, seeing the two-thousand year old tree demon years ago once before. _Rin was here_, Jaken sadly remembered.

"You knew I was coming, Bokuseno?" Sesshomaru continued to walk under the trees with his usual calm demeanor.

"You've come to speak with me." The tree demon voiced.

"Hn." Sesshomaru suddenly stopped in front of an old magnolia tree as a face began to appear.

Two big round eyes, lines of wrinkles, and a pointy long nose came into view. Slowly the face began to materialize until the large eyes flashed open. "Is the information you seek… about the demonic chalice? You've already accomplished Tenseiga, I see."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, "the chalice is lost."

The tree demon had a concerned look. "I've already told you the importance of protecting the object you bore seven years ago. Has it not been in your care?"

"You would know…" Sesshomaru got to the point, "of the link between my yokai and the demonic chalice."

A low hum came from Bokuseno as he looked at the lord Taisho's first son. "Your yokai? You mean, the chalice has been used?"

Sesshoumaru impatiently explained. "I lost control of my yokai and my scent even changed."

The old magnolia tree squinted its' eyes. "Your scent had changed?" And blinked, "I wonder about that."

"What do you mean?" Sesshomaru kept his eyes on the tree.

A knowing expression filled the tree's face. "The yokai of a full blooded demon is stable, always, almost impossible to lose control. A change in scent could only mean…" Sesshomaru waited for the tree to continue, "Sesshomaru… how did you lose the object?"

An annoyed expression twitched Sesshomaru's face, "the woman who was brought into my stronghold…" Sesshomaru recalled the past couple of days, "she _must_ have it."

"Another demon is involved?" Bokuseno looked surprised.

"A human." Sesshomaru corrected Bokuseno, "Almost identical to Rin… the same scent."

"A reincarnation..." Bokuseno spoke as if it all made sense. "Of a human child… with no spiritual power? This is not just you're doing, Sesshomaru." He blinked several times, "And neither is the fact you lost control."

"What?!" Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

_Someone else is plotting against Lord Sesshomaru?!_ Jaken also realized what the ancient tree demon was saying.

Bokuseno narrowed his gaze at Sesshomaru. "The reincarnation is absorbing your yokai." Blink, blink. "It seems your inner desire to protect the child has turned on you."

Sesshomaru's face grew stern. He felt like ripping the forest to shreds. _I'll find the reincarnated bitch…_ he thought in fury. "How can it be undone?"

"She must've drank from the chalice… such an innocent human heart like hers going near a demonic object like that…" Bokuseno seemed to talk to himself, "Your pure demon blood will be too much for her. The only way to save your yokai and the girl's _life_, is to… find a way to destroy the chalice."

Sesshomaru developed an unflinching stern look. "So what happens?"

"Let me see…" Bokuseno pondered out loud. "It could be said that strong spiritual power can destroy such a demonic object. But I can't assure you, you will be unaffected. The chalice itself possesses a part of your yokai… to destroy it _could_ also mean weakening yourself."

"If I destroy the reincarnation of Rin." Sesshomaru finally reached his train of thought. "What will become of this Sesshomaru?"

"The day the demonic chalice was born, you two were bonded eternally." Bokuseno began to close his eyes, his face retreating back into the two-thousand year old tree. "If you kill her…" there was a brief pause in the voice before it faded completely, "you will lose your soul…."

A hard realization came upon Sesshomaru at Bokuseno's words. He had no choice but to save Rin and keep her alive? A growl rumbled in his chest as green ooze began to drip from his claws.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken worriedly watched his lord before glancing to A-un who peered at the both of them. "What will we do now?"

Sesshomaru's growl grew deeper and before Jaken could say anymore, the demon lord shot into the sky, taking flight at full speed.

Rin was being led by Ringo down a narrow hallway with floors and walls of polished wood. Staring into the cat demon's back, her eyes narrowed with the sway of Ringo's hair so similar to Sesshomaru's. _**A reincarnated bitch!?**__ So, Sesshomaru thinks of me as a __**bitch, **__huh? _Rin was lost in her thoughts when Ringo caught her unaware.

"You should be excited." Ringo glanced back at Rin who looked like she wanted to kill someone. "You'll be off this rocky ship."

"And being forced to go where?" Rin raised an eyebrow, her eyes still in a death glare.

"If you're still angry with me because of earlier…"

"Nope." Rin interrupted him. "Not angry. Not at all. Not at _**you**_." _If you were Sesshomaru, you would have a slap mark on your face._

Ringo's feline blue eyes narrowed at her before facing forward. "Just behave, Rin. And I won't need to threaten you."

"Yeah because women just _love_ to be told what to do." Rin snorted and crossed her arms.

A laugh came from Ringo, causing Rin to slightly growl. When Ringo heard her, he began to laugh louder. "I guess you can't help your attitude… I could only imagine what a dog yokai would do to me. I bet the growling is only the beginning."

"HA! HA!" Rin pretended to laugh obnoxiously. "You're _so_ hilarious, Ringo. I almost forgot how much of an asshole you are."

Ringo suddenly stopped and Rin realized she probably shouldn't have said that. But rather than turning around to choke her, or something she would expect Sesshomaru to do, Ringo simply sighed. "We're here."

"We're _where_?" Rin peeked around him to see a door.

"This is where I leave you." Ringo stepped to the side to let her go ahead. "But don't worry, you won't miss me for long. I'll be meeting you later on."

"_**What?**_" Rin looked uncertain with what was happening and touched her face, cursing at herself when she forgot about the makeup.

"Go on…" he pushed Rin to the door.

Rin's eyes focused on the handle and shook her head. "I don't want to."

"Remember what I said, Rin?" Ringo was so close she could hear his voice in her ear, his breath tickling her neck.

_Fuck you Ringo_, Rin glared inwardly at him, as her hand went for the door. A deep breath later, Rin slid it open and was surprised to see the top deck. "Is this a joke?" She asked Ringo, but when no one answered, Rin turned around to see he was gone. "_So_… now what?"

"Rin." The steady sound of her name being called caused her to go stiff.

_Kazuma_? Rin knew that voice.

Facing back to the door leading out to the ship's deck, Rin unsteadily went outside. Her eyes went wide when she saw a familiar cloaked figure. He was standing near the side railing under the bright afternoon.

"_Shit_." Rin mumbled under her breath, now regretting Ringo had left.

"You look beautiful." Kazuma's voice came from under the mask, "Do you hate me because of what I've done?"

Rin's eyes grew narrow with each word he spoke. When she said nothing in reply, he took a couple steps closer to her. But each time, Rin took one back.

"I see." Kazuma stopped, lowering his hood. When Rin saw his eyes her heart began to pound. "You do."

"I don't trust you." Rin felt her voice waver. "Don't come near me."

"I'm taking you somewhere safe." Kazuma explained casually. "I'm protecting you."

"All you do is lie." Rin stood her ground. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"If I told you what the chalice would do, you never would've done it." Kazuma tried to make her understand, though Rin knew his efforts were futile.

"Then why not let me make that decision for myself?!" She screamed at him. "You bring me here, to this fucking time to _fuck up_ my life?! I loved you! YOU BACKSTABBING BASTARD!" Rin brought a hand to her forehead, feeling somewhat flustered. "I won't be blinded again…"

Kazuma crossed his arms, looking intently at the human woman before him. "You're upset. That'll fade, I promise you."

"NO." Rin shouted, feeling helpless tears forming on her eyelids. "I'll never forget what you've done to me, I don't want to be this way! I don't want to take Sesshomaru's yokai! How many times do I have to say _this_?"

Kazuma appeared unmoved, his face still as stone. "It's not your choice to make."

"Excuse me?" Rin's eyes were wide, as she stepped forward to poke Kazuma in the chest. "Since when do _you_ know what's best for me?" She jabbed her finger into him several more times, as hard as possible, just to make her point clear.

Barely feeling the pokes, Kazuma glanced down at her hand while grinning under his mask. "You know I've always enjoyed pissing you off."

"_Well_… congratulations then, Kazuma." Rin went to slap him, finally happy to be able to do it to someone. Too bad for her, Kazuma wasn't going to let it happen. Just as her hand was about to come in contact with his cheek, he snatched her wrist.

When Rin tried to pull her hand back, Kazuma clutched it tighter, eventually forcing her whole body to trip forward due to the kimono. Rin let out a yelp as she fell right into Kazuma's embrace.

Rin pushed him back, struggling to take both arms back now. "Stop it. Get away from me."

"Rin…" Kazuma hugged her, forcefully crushing her body into his. "You've no idea how long I've waited for this."

Closing her eyes tight, Rin tried to think of something—anything else but Kazuma. It was just too unbearable… being in love and then having to live with his death, seeing him again only to be fucked around with. _He lied to me_, Rin had to remind herself; _Kazuma fucking lied and tricked me into drinking from the chalice!_

"I don't give a shit!" Rin tried to get out of his embrace, "I hope Sesshomaru kills you for what you've done."

Kazuma's eyes went stern at her words. Just as Rin thought he was going to say something, he drew back from her, turning towards the vast ocean. Rin kept her eyes on the demon however, not trusting a single move or word he said.

"Sesshomaru will eliminate _you_ if given the chance." Rin heard Kazuma perfectly, though he was no longer facing her. "Is that what you want?"

Rin was damn sure she knew what Kazuma meant, but of course _that_ wasn't what she wanted… she had to get home! It wasn't her fault these demons didn't seem to understand what the word meant.

"You know what I want, Kazuma." Rin placed her hands on her hips. "I want to leave this era! You can deal with Sesshomaru by yourself for all I care. It's not like you're explaining to me _why_ in the hell you're doing this."

Swiftly turning back to face Rin, Kazuma looked as if he was about to say something. But rather than his usual remark, he suddenly leapt forward, grabbing Rin by the obi sash around her waist.

The quick action knocked the breath from Rin's chest, as the fabric tightened around her stomach. A rush of wind sent a shiver throughout Rin's body. Looking down, her head spun, growing dizzy when she saw how high they were flying... and how _fast_.

_I think I'm going to be sick_, Rin felt an unsettled tingling in her stomach, rising to her throat.

Looking behind Kazuma's shoulder, that was when Rin noticed why he had acted so brashly. She saw something white and _**large**_ in the distance where the ship was… right where they had been.

"Holy shit!" Rin pointed to the ship, trying to understand what it was exactly. _Is that…_ _a giant dog attacking_? "Sesshomaru…?" Rin spoke her final thought out loud, considering the one person she guessed could do that. Her expression was a mix of confusion and fear as she realized, _I thought I only __**dreamt**__ it, seeing him turn into some kind of dog monster. _

There were flashes of neon green light streaming across the sky with clouds of smoke, but Rin was too far to hear anything, or see the details of what was happening. Glancing back to Kazuma, Rin noticed he didn't look back. But for some reason, he stopped, hovering hundreds of feet in the air above the ocean. Rin's could feel her heart speeding up as she looked down.

"Glad to see you're smart enough to stop when you see your opponent!" A high-pitched voice squeaked.

Rin thought it sounded familiar and peeked to where Kazuma was staring. "Jaken!" The name rolled off her tongue in shock and then she noticed he was on the two-headed dragon. "A-un!"

"You know these demons?" Kazuma glared, his dark eyes piercing into Jaken.

"Umm…" Rin didn't know what to do. She looked back and forth between the three demons. "Yes?"

"I'm the servant of Lord Sesshomaru." Jaken threatened Kazuma and lifted his staff. "Let go of the human or else!"

"Alright." Kazuma grinned and Rin didn't like where this was going.

"You're going to do what the_ frog_ says?" Rin gasped in frustration. "And you do nothing _I_ say?"

"_Frog!_" Jaken snapped at Rin, narrowing his eyes at her.

Not listening to either of them, Kazuma suddenly dropped Rin. In one motion, his arms had let her go just as Jaken demanded.

Rin immediately released the loudest scream of her life as she felt herself slip between Kazuma's fingers. Out of nowhere there was nothing under her but a blue ocean FAR below.

_Oh my God! _Rin thought in petrified fear.

In his daiyokai form, Sesshomaru turned his crimson eyes to the distant figure, falling in the sky. Strangely, he realized it was the same time he had heard Rin's voice echo through his mind. Rushing forward on all four legs, Sesshomaru streamed into the sky with a blinding light surrounding him.

Moving too fast, Rin had to close her eyes in order to not lose consciousness. Spiraling and twisting through the air, her body fell and fell, her head no longer able to think of anything besides the betrayal she felt. _Kazuma… you'd kill me?_ Rin felt like she was in a heart beyond broken, Rin knew there was no time to dwell… soon she'd burst into a million pieces when she hit the water. _I fell from too high… it'll be fatal_… _I'm going to die_…

The moment before Rin was about to impact the ocean, Sesshomaru changed into his humanoid form, catching her in his arms just in time. Such a sudden stop caused Rin to snap her eyes open, and as soon as she noticed they were Sesshomaru's golden eyes, she screamed again.

With the attire and makeup the human woman was like a stranger to Sesshomaru. He didn't expect her to be afraid of him… but then recalled the last time when he _did_ try to kill the girl... "Silence!" Sesshomaru growled, shoving his hand over her mouth.

Just as Sesshomaru was distracted with Rin, a strange black lightening shot down from the sky, coming right for them. Sesshomaru threw Rin safely out of the way before he was electrified, tingling the skin across his body.

"AH!" Flying backwards, Rin hit the water about a foot or so beneath her.

Crashing into the deep blue, her eyes opened as she swam up to the surface. Popping out of the water, Rin looked up to see a sight she wasn't sure was real… was Sesshomaru protecting her? Rin wasn't sure when she saw Sesshomaru place himself in Kazuma's path.

"_Kazuma_?" Rin had recognized the dark hair and the outfit, _but his face and eyes…_ her gaze went wide in confusion.

Kazuma's eyes were red and never showed markings on his face before, but now… he had blue spots covering the right side. His black hair flowed around him, melting into the shadow he stood upon in the air.

"At last..." Kazuma held an old long sword in his hand with gold hilt. When he let down his mask, covering the lower half of his face, his fangs glistened. "Lord Sesshomaru."

_Is that how this demon controls his scent and that of others so easily?_ Sesshomaru eyed the sword in Kazuma's hand. "What's this? You've been waiting?"

Sesshomaru struggled to recognize who Kazuma was when he caught the demon's scent, but when he noted the eye color and markings… Sesshomaru was sure he had to be related to another demon from his past.

_He looks just like Takemaru after his resurrection, _Sesshomaru thought of the human turned yokai who battled his father to the death. But Takemaru wasn't known to have offspring... and Sesshomaru and Inuyasha vanquished him over seven years ago.

"Oh the irony…" Kazuma waved his arms around him.

"Takemaru who was resurrected by the demon blade Sounga." Sesshomaru said the name Takemaru and the look on Kazuma's face turned to amusement. "He's dead. Somehow, you're his son, a _demon_." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as he unleashed Tenseiga.

Rin couldn't believe her ears. Here she was… watching Sesshomaru not only helping her, but also unraveling the identity of Kazuma? Rin wanted _in_ on this! "KAZUMA!" She scolded him, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Takemaru's son glanced at Rin. "My name isn't _Kazuma_." His dark eyebrow arched up mischievously. "It never was."

A wave of puzzlement washed over Rin as she struggled to stay up in the water. Her limbs were growing tired and the kimono was weighing her down.

"It doesn't matter." Sesshomaru intervened, bring his enemy's attention back to him. "You'll die here and now."

Just as Sesshomaru sprinted forward, a tidal wave pushed Rin back from the scene. She spit out the saltwater getting into her mouth, trying her best to turn and look to see what was happening.

Sesshomaru and the demon Rin once thought as Kazuma were facing each other in a clash of swords. Both of them forced their strength against one another, causing the clang of metal to echo through the air.

Swimming as hard as she could, Rin didn't want to get caught in the heat of the battle. Her arms ached with each stroke until finally giving up. Rin floated on her back, staring up at the late afternoon sky. With her ears submerged in the water she could barely hear the swords continuously attacking.

Lazily she outstretched her arms and closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she thought, _Sesshomaru… don't lose. _

"You stupid human!" Rin heard a screech, "You're going to drown!"

Rin sighed when she saw Jaken hovering above her on top of A-un. "Hey, about time."

Soaked to the bone Rin grabbed one of A-un's reigns and after several attempts, finally managed to pull herself up next to Jaken.

The imp demon gave her a nasty glare as he fixed the small cap that slightly slipped from his little green head. "This is all _your_ fault Lord Sesshomaru is in this mess!"

Rin rolled her eyes, "Maybe Sesshomaru should've warned me about the chalice." Her face darkened as she gave him the same look back, "And neither of us would be in this fucking shit!" Her fingers undid her hair in frustration, "if Sesshomaru is wounded, he deserves it."

As soon as she said it, Rin thought twice about her words. Turning back to see the battle, her eyes went to Sesshomaru who was spinning, his whip flashing around him, forcing his opponent back.

Ceasing his attack, Sesshomaru halted when Takemaru's son conjured a darkness around him.

_Poisonous miasma_… Sesshomaru's eyes were wide as he peeked back to see Rin was too close.

Acting immediately, Sesshomaru flashed his attention back to the dark-haired demon and called out the netherworld, "Meido." Swinging Tenseiga in a steady slash, Sesshomaru's gaze filled with deadly intent.

A bubble of darkness surrounded by a dark purple light shot out from Sesshomaru's blade. Rin's hands tightened on A-un's saddle, now unable to take her eyes away as the portal to the underworld was about to suck up the enemy. But before the demon who tricked her could be vanquished to his death, the miasma covered him, allowing Takemaru's son to disappear without a trace.

_What!_ Rin fisted A-un's saddle, causing the two-headed dragon to blink and groan.

As Sesshomaru heard Rin's thoughts he frowned, saying nothing, and more importantly, thinking _nothing_. For all he knew, this was going to be the most hellish torment Sesshomaru could imagine. He felt the need to find that demonic chalice and _fast_.


End file.
